At Erie March for our Lives 100 rally, call to end gun violence epidemic
Amid shouts of "enough is enough" and "vote them out," speakers implored community leaders to adopt common-sense gun reform and to stop the spread of gun violence as local community groups joined forces Saturday in a March For Our Lives rally at Griswold Park in Erie.
The calls for gun reform came after deadly mass shootings that killed 10 on May 14 at a Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York and on May 24 that killed 21 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
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"Our communities are in deep despair, said the Rev. Kristina Church of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Erie. "We fear for our children. We shouldn't have to live this way."
Church called for sensible gun-safety policies.
"I grew up in Alaska. I have a comfort level with hunting weapons. We are not taking away anyone's hunting rifles, we want common sense gun laws for the safety of us all."
Church's son Rafael Gregorius, 11, and other young people led about 100 marchers around Griswold Park, chanting and holding signs. A group of retirees from Franklin, Oil City and Clarion, all members of Oil Region Rising, a Oil City-based group promoting progressive policies and solutions to political issues, joined local grassroots groups Erie County United, Benedictines for Peace, Career and Dreams Inc. and the UUCE Social Justice Committee. The march was part of a national day of action in more than 100 cities across the nation.
Edinboro resident Sarah Jay, 47, marched next to her daughter Makayla Jay, 20, holding a sign the pair made in 2018 after the February 2018 shooting deaths of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
"Sadly, here we are still," Sarah Jay said. "And nothing much has changed."
Contact staff photographer Greg Wohlford at gwohlford@timesnews.com or Twitter @ETNWohlford.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: At Erie March for Our Lives rally, 100 call to end gun-violence epidemic
