OFFICIAL PROCLAMATION
CITIES OF MOORHEAD AND DILWORTH, STATE OF MINNESOTA
CITIES OF FARGO AND WEST FARGO, STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA
View the signed proclamation.
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WHEREAS, every day, 100 Americans are killed by gun violence and on average there are nearly 13,000 gun homicides every year; and
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WHEREAS, Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed with guns than people in other high-income countries; and
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WHEREAS, protecting public safety in the communities they serve is mayors' highest responsibility; and
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WHEREAS, mayors and law enforcement officers know their communities best, are the most familiar with local criminal activity and how to address it, and are best positioned to understand how to keep their citizens safe; and
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WHEREAS, in January 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, was tragically shot and killed, should be now celebrating her 22nd birthday; and
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WHEREAS, to help honor Hadiya - and the 100 Americans whose lives are cut short and the countless survivors who are injured by shootings every day - a national coalition of organizations has designated June 7, 2019, the first Friday in June, as the 5th National Gun Violence Awareness Day; and
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WHEREAS, the idea was inspired by a group of Hadiya's friends, who asked their classmates to commemorate her life by wearing orange; they chose this color because hunters wear orange to announce themselves to other hunters when out in the woods and orange is a color that symbolizes the value of human life; and
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WHEREAS, anyone can join this campaign by pledging to Wear Orange on June 7th, the first Friday in June in 2019, to help raise awareness about gun violence; and
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WHEREAS, by wearing orange on June 7, 2019 Americans will raise awareness about gun violence and honor the lives of gun violence victims and survivors; and
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WHEREAS, we renew our commitment to reduce gun violence and pledge to do all we can to keep firearms out of the wrong hands, and encourage responsible gun ownership to help keep our children safe.
NOW, THEREFORE, WE, Johnathan Judd, Mayor of Moorhead; Chad Olson, Mayor of Dilworth; Tim Mahoney, Mayor of Fargo; and Bernie Dardis, Mayor of West Fargo do hereby proclaim the first Friday in June, June 7, 2019 to be:
NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY
in our cities and encourage all citizens to support their local communities' efforts to prevent the tragic effects of gun violence and to honor and value human lives.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF we have set our hands and caused the Official Seals of the Cities of Moorhead and Dilworth, State of Minnesota; and Fargo and West Fargo, State of North Dakota, to be affixed this 7th day of June, 2019.