Please mark your calendars for Saturday, March 24. A group of Benicia citizens, including some of our high school students, are planning a rally to remember the loss of 17 lives in the Parkland, Florida high school mass shooting – and for sensible gun control measures.
Plans for the event are still unfolding, so stay tuned here on Benicia Independent. For UPDATES, check HERE:
The last two weeks have been tragic as we grapple with the deaths of 17 students and teachers in Parkland. We have also been uplifted and inspired by the young people who push to prevent gun violence. It is another reminder that the majority of Americans want Congress to come to the table and take action.
There are solutions. This year, I introduced a bill that would create a Select Committee to study gun violence so we have recommendations on the best policy map forward. Yet Republican leaders won’t give it a vote. I also introduced bipartisan legislation that will improve and expand our background check system by closing loopholes, an idea that again, a majority of Americans support. No vote was held on this bill. And throughout my career, I’ve worked to help improve our mental health system, repeal the Dickey Amendment and allow the Centers for Disease Control to study gun violence. These are simple and commonsense proposals, yet Republican leaders have refused to act.
Please know that my fight to keep our children and communities safe will not stop. Thank you to the many in our district and across our nation who have spoken up and spoken out. Your voices are heard and I am fighting to take action to prevent gun violence.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office.
Benicia stands with Parkland, Florida following tragic school shooting
North Bay NEVERAGAIN – vigil invitation
Benicia High School students took to the streets and City Park on Saturday night – and to Twitter, Instagram and Youtube with heartfelt sorrow and calls for change following the mass shooting at Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. (Scroll down for video.)
Benicia High students planned an evening vigil for Saturday, Feb. 24. Students gathered at Benicia High before dark and walked to City Park. At the Gazebo, they lit candles and honored those who were killed in Parkland.
Planners included Carson Rendell, Enaiya Judkins, Grace French, Meghan Barrett , Chloe Bonini, Karah Fisher, Morgan Bundy, Valentina Quintana, and with media & footage, Chris Weldon & Anders Knutstad.
After the vigil, Chris Weldon wrote:
We had a good turn out with 90% being students. We wore name tags of those who we lost and that are no longer with us. We’ve lost so many in events like Parkland that we ran out of name tags to write names.
We walked from the high school to the gazebo holding signs saying “never again” and wore black. We read stories and such of those who were heros in the tragedy at Stoneman Douglas, we read about each of the victims’ lives and what their plans were, we lost many amazing students and staff in Parkland. All will be missed and were honored. We held candles and had a moment of silence in remembrance of those 17 lives and all lives lost in other mass shootings at schools.
Benicia Students read statements they wrote about the change they would like to see in our country and the steps we as a country need to take. We came together and honored those that we lost and we will continue in the never again movement.
Weldon and Anders Knutstad posted video footage on YouTube:
For more, see Twitter: “North Bay|#NEVERAGAIN – @nbayNEVERAGAIN – Students from North Bay, California working towards ending gun violence. We stand in solidarity with the survivors of MSD. [Link to national: #NeverAgain“]
And more on Instagram:northbayneveragain“North Bay Never Again – Students from North Bay, California working towards ending gun violence. We stand in solidarity with the survivors of MSD. #NeverAgain“
From your Benicia Independent Editor: Never in Benicia, Never Again! It’s time for our elected leaders to take long overdue action to limit the senseless slaughter. See more on the BenIndy here. – R.S.
You must be logged in to post a comment.