HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — Hundreds rallied in Highland Park Saturday to show support for the community and call for better gun reform laws.
Organizers for the event said they wanted to create a space for people to cope with Monday’s parade shooting as well as turn hurt into hope and anger into action.
“It’s a small town. It’s a small community,” organizer Rachel Jacoby said. “We’re all just a few degrees of separation away. I know people who were shot and who survived and were shot and didn’t survive. And it’s been a really tough week.”
The rally started off somberly as the crowd was asked to participate in a moment of silence while the names of each of the seven victims fatally shot and killed were read aloud.
Survivors from the parade along with law enforcement, medical professionals and people who stepped into help during Monday’s tragedy were also honored.
Hundreds of people from Highland Park and beyond filled Sunset Woods Park with signs demanding more comprehensive gun control laws and an end to gun violence all across America. Those who came out demanded change and hope their voices make a difference as they fight for the many lives impacted by gun violence.