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Lexington Residents Asked to Wear Orange for Gun Violence Awareness

Stu Johnson

A large group of orange clad people gathered in Lexington city hall Friday morning.

They were part of Lexington’s first public observance of Wear Orange National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

The local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America coordinated the event. 

As part of the ceremony, Carolyn Dupont read the names of 26 victims of gun violence in Lexington from May of 2016 through this May.

Dupont says Friday’s event is designed to remember victims and recognize survivors.  But, she told the group, acknowledging the deaths is not enough. 

“We know that these deaths were not inevitable.  These deaths are the result of manmade structures in our lives.  And we refuse to accept our high rates of gun violence necessary collateral facts of life,” Dupont said.

Anita Franklin lost her son to gun violence in the spring of 2014.  She recounted  a cartoon she saw with a teacher asking school children what they wanted to be when they grew up.  It depicted one student raising his hand and saying “alive.”  

“Why are our kids feeling that they one thing they want to be is alive?  Not to be a teacher, not to be the mayor of our city, not to be the president of the United States.  Gun violence is definitely an epidemic,” commented Franklin.

More than 150 buildings and monuments throughout the U.S. will light up orange. 

That includes the Empire State Building, Niagara Falls, the Big Four Bridge in Louisville, and Lexington’s Helix garage.

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