On Gun Violence Awareness Day earlier this month, a field of small orange heart signs surrounded a temporary statue in Eisenhower Park of a young girl hiding beneath a school desk, each heart representing one of the 130 lives lost to gun violence in the U.S. every day.
Orange is the color of gun safety. More than 100 activists who gathered in the park on June 5 wore the color as they shared information with gun violence survivors and spoke about their personal experiences.
Janet Klein Goldstein, an advocate for gun violence victims, is a leading member of the New York chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. She invited local elected officials to the event to remind them of the life-or-death stakes of legislation intended to enhance gun safety.
“We want them to hear the voices of survivors,” Goldstein said. “We want to honor the victims of gun violence, and that’s why we invite them here.”
Goldstein and her Moms Demand Action colleagues regularly take their advocacy on the road, heading to Albany to push for “common sense” legislation, she said.
“We were in Albany three or four times these past seven months, and we advocated for two bills that the governor signed into law just recently,” Goldstein said. “A third one she signed into law [days] ago, and she’s signing the fourth into law as we speak.”
The bills include prohibitions against manufacturing firearms in New York state that are easily modified into rapid-fire weapons, holding software companies that may operate in the state accountable for 3D printed weapons, and Francesco’s Law, which requires New Yorkers who own firearms to lock up all weapons if a person under age 18 is in their home.
“I think it's sad that we still have to do this,” Amanda Geist, of Merrick, said of the gathering. “The consequences of gun violence are very real and very evident. It really shouldn’t be a debate anymore … it is absolutely heartbreaking for families and for survivors, and I admire the courage it takes to continue and to channel that into activism.”
Event organizer Stephanie Draine and George Graydon are the founders of Life After Loss Ability-Navigate-Depression-Recovery-Empowerment, or ANDRE, a nonprofit that focuses on helping gun violence survivors through the recovery process. The couple lost their 26-year-old son, Andre, in 2014.
“We started this in 2020, trying to deal with the trauma of losing a child through gun violence,” Draine, a resident of Hempstead, said. “Not having that type of support back in 2014 motivated us to start an organization to support and advocate families who are impacted as we are and advocate, speak out against gun violence.”
Draine and Graydon have spent the past six years supporting families through medical, legal and psychological challenges.
“We just didn’t want nobody to go through what we went through, as far as the court system goes, and not knowing where to turn,” Graydon said.
Long Beach activist James Hodge also spoke at the event. Lodge’s nephew was killed and other relatives have been injured in acts of violence, and he is committed to preventing further harm.
“I continue to advocate on behalf of policies that will help eradicate gun violence,” he said. “There’s plenty of preventative measures that we see go on in different places that work, and so I’ll continue speaking up and speaking out.”
Richard Paul, of Freeport, is the executive director of So Rich In Community, a local organization that partners with schools and offers support services and volunteer opportunities for at-risk youth. He also works with the Northwell Center for Gun Violence Prevention.
“Like many of us here, we are always looking forward to the day in which we can look for new jobs — the day in which our center can close down because these hearts won’t be here anymore, and the violence in our communities will cease,” Paul said. “Sometimes it’s rough, and we feel like we’re not making an impact, but I want all of you to know that you are, and I’m honored to be here with you today.”
