GREENFIELD — Many of the teenagers were dressed in black. Some stared straight ahead, others looked at their shoes.
While the few dozen teens gathered at Tuesday night’s vigil were solemn and quiet as they mourned the lives of at least 31 people killed in mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio over the weekend, all were steady in their resolve to end gun violence.
Although Ella Parker, a junior at Four Rivers Charter Public School who organized the vigil, said she often feels “helpless” in the fight, she is actively helping her classmates register and even pre-register to vote.
“We want to make sure that anyone who can vote is voting, and they’re voting with people’s lives in mind,” Parker said.
Parker, along with several Four Rivers students including senior Gina Magin, junior Bethany Tibbetts and recent graduate Cynthia Roy-Clark, said they pulled the vigil together in little more than a day. And plans required some grit to see through: to expedite a permit from the city, Magin “charged in there and demanded to talk to a clerk,” Parker said.
Roughly 50 teenagers and adults attended the hour-long vigil, everyone clutching a single candle that collectively illuminated the Greenfield Common with a muted glow. The evening began at 8:30 p.m. with a prayer and a couple of speeches denouncing gun violence and anti-immigrant sentiment. A few songs followed, sung to the tune of famous songs including “Amazing Grace,” “Hallelujah” and “America the Beautiful,” with their words re-written to denounce gun violence and inaction by politicians.
Following the vigil, several Four Rivers students lingered on the common discussing the threat of gun violence and admitting they consider it often, at school and outside.
“Loud noise in the hallway, ‘I’m going to die,’ lock-down drill, ‘I’m going to die,’ fire alarm, ‘I’m going to die,’” Parker said. “I just don’t want to die.”
With each mass shooting, Emily Braverman said she grows “more fearful” of gun violence.
“I was kind of afraid to come here even, just because things can happen,” Braverman said.
While some students admitted they feel there is little they can do to end gun violence, they said being at the vigil, surrounded by other concerned local residents, provided some sense of camaraderie and solace.
Roy-Clark said it is important to hold events mourning victims of gun violence as a means to “continue the conversation always.” She said she looks forward to continuing efforts to advocate for gun restrictions.
“If we let the topic die, then a lot is lost,” Roy-Clark.
Gillis MacDougall said he came to the vigil because gun violence “is not stopping.”
“A lot of the politicians don’t really seem to care,” MacDougall said. “I just see it as something really important that needs to be done and is not being done by the people in charge.”
Gus Rivers-McHugh agreed, saying he came to the vigil to support the movement.
“I know that even small gatherings like this can make a big difference,” Rivers-McHugh said. “Especially in the local community.”
Fiona Bird said she is troubled by how “desensitized” society has become to gun violence.
Parker agreed, saying that “We say we’re mourning the victims, but it doesn’t feel like we even realize they’re people because it’s every day.”
While Parker noted that it is vital to show up and fight gun violence, she said it is also important to continue to enjoy life.
“You should be doing things while you’re alive,” Parker said. “That’s the real situation that we’re in.”
Reach Grace Bird at gbird@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 280.