GREENFIELD — The time for the 10th annual “Hearts on the Common” event for gun violence awareness was approaching and, citing how stretched everyone is these days, organizer Robin Neipp considered not holding the event at all.
But then she thought about the 130 people who are killed and 200 who are injured on average by firearms each day in the United States.
“These victims, survivors and their loved ones deserve this moment,” she said. “Any strides we were making have been erased by the current administration.”
Neipp, who lives in Leyden, put up the orange paper hearts bearing the names of gun violence victims on Thursday, and they will remain there until Saturday night.
Neipp specifically addressed the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who in January were gunned down by federal agents in Minneapolis during widespread protests against an immigration crackdown in the state. She also mentioned the gunman who killed eight children (including seven of his own) and two women (including his wife) in Shreveport, Louisiana, in April.
“It is still shocking to me that as a society we are willing to accept this senseless loss of lives,” Neipp said.
“Hearts on the Common” is an official event organized on behalf of Grassroots for Gun Violence Prevention (Grassroots4GVP), an advocacy group of Massachusetts volunteers committed to reducing gun deaths.
Neipp mentioned that Massachusetts still ranks among the safest states when it comes to gun violence. A firearm regulations referendum is on the ballot in November.
According to Everytown for Gun Safety, an average of 259 people die by guns in Massachusetts each year, equating to one death roughly every 34 hours.
Wear Orange, a gun violence awareness movement, started as a tradition on June 2, 2015, which would have been the 18th birthday of Hadiya Pendleton, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Chicago one week after performing at events for President Barack Obama’s second inauguration. Her friends decided to remember her by wearing orange — the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves from errant gunfire.
Pendleton would have turned 29 years old on Tuesday.
