Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren has invited mayors from across the U.S. to recognize June as Gun Violence Awareness Month and to make neighborhoods safer.
In response to the Orlando shooting, Warren is asking at least 100 U.S. mayors to sign a petition at Change.org to support that goal.
The initiative has a goal of bringing more than 100 U.S. cities on board by the end of June. As of early Tuesday morning, 34 people had signed the petition.
Warren is also asking elected officials to recommend five ideas that can reduce gun violence in cities and recruit at least five cities that will designate June 2017 as Gun Violence Awareness month.
In the letter Warren wrote to mayors of several dozen cities, she wrote that, " As mayors, we understand that gun violence plagues each of our cities. “Gun violence victimizes families, public safety officers and neighborhoods. Local governments are on the front lines. Our citizens are in the trenches. June is national Gun Violence Awareness Month (“GVAM”) and the time for action could not be more pressing. Our nation’s mayors must address gun violence in a meaningful way.”
