Silent March to Mark Gun Death Toll of U.S. Youth

American Humane Association
Wednesday, 5 April 2000

Empty Shoes Displayed At Colorado State Capitol On April 11 A Reminder Of U.S. Epidemic

On April 11th the national grassroots organization Silent March will display, on the west steps of the State Capitol, 4,223 pairs of empty shoes representing children and youth killed by guns in a single year. The event will include remarks from Tom Mauser, father of slain Columbine High School student Daniel Mauser and Director of Policy Affairs for SAFE Colorado (Sane Alternatives to Firearms Epidemic). The next day President Clinton will be speaking at a rally in Denver in support of an upcoming ballot initiative to close the gun show loophole.

The Colorado Silent March is being hosted by Denver gun violence prevention activists, spearheaded by the American Humane Association (AHA), a Colorado based national child welfare advocacy organization. The shoes will be displayed at the State Capitol from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. A program will begin at 12:00 p.m. and feature speakers, including: Tom Mauser; U.S. Attorney Tom Strickland; Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter; Ellen Freudenheim co-founder of the Silent March; Paul DiLorenzo, Director of AHA's Children's Services and Reverend Patrick Demmer of Graham Memorial Church of God in Christ. The program will also feature remarks from the relatives of gun violence victims who are bringing shoes to be displayed.

Tuesday, April 11 is also the kick-off event to Silent Marches in 40 states, culminating this summer with massive shoe protests at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. Governor Bush and Vice President Gore have been invited to participate in the convention Silent Marches by visiting the displays and bringing shoes of victims that have been delivered to them. The public is invited to bring shoes to the State Capitol on Tuesday, April 11, to add to the collection. All shoes collected on Tuesday will be included with those sent to the national political conventions this summer.

Since 1994, the Silent March, a national non-profit that is committed to reducing the number of gun deaths in America, has organized empty shoe exhibits, or "silent marches" across the country, from the U.S. Capitol to the front gates of the nation's largest gun makers. "These shoes are reminders of the terrible toll that gun violence takes every day, every week, every month on the families of Americans," said Ellen Freudenheim, co-founder of the Silent March. "It is important as we approach the anniversary of the nation's worst school shooting, we realize that this is not one single tragedy, but an ongoing story of loss. On average, twelve young Americans die every day from firearms. To stop this epidemic of suicide and homicide, we need to demand that our elected officials regulate firearms like other consumer products. Only through commonsense limits on firearms will we end this sad silent march."

For more information, or to contact American Humane Association, see their website at: www.americanhumane.org