HOBOKEN – Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla will declare June 1 “Gun Violence Awareness Day” in Hoboken today at 4 p.m. at City Hall.
This is part of a National Gun Violence Awareness Day event organized by the Hudson County Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense. U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez will also attend and speak at the event.
“I’m honored to lend my voice to such an important issue,” said Bhalla in a press release. “It’s our duty to do everything within our power to protect our children and residents from gun violence. New Jersey is taking steps in the right direction, but with how easily guns cross state lines, we have to keep up the pressure on Congress to enact sweeping reforms. I’m proud New Jersey’s senators are on the right side of this issue, but we must keep up the fight against the gun lobby.”
Following his proclamation, Bhalla will introduce Senator Menendez.
Today’s proclamation will include speeches from Bhalla, Menendez, councilwoman and representative of Moms Demand Action Emily Jabbour, Kristina Filler of the Hold Your Fire initiative, Students Demand Action representatives Frances Michaels and Jai Patel, Jersey City Councilman James Solomon, and more.
“To the students here today, I hear you loud and clear,” said Sen. Bob Menendez in a press release from the city. “You are tired of practicing active shooter drills; tired of hearing that gun violence is just a fact of life; tired of seeing the NRA make the decisions in Washington about guns and our safety. And as your senator, I know you deserve better. That means passing common-sense gun laws that will keep weapons of war off our streets and guns out of the hands of children, criminals, and others with mental illness. We need to keep up the fight, keep marching, organizing, speaking out – and voting – until we have a Congress that will stand up to the NRA and take action.”
This event is one of a series of similar events held in Hoboken in 2018, including the March 14 National School Walkout, the March for Our Lives held on March 24, and a remembrance event on April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine Massacre.
