Monthly Archives: July 2016
Fred and Maria Wright, Everytown Survivor Network
One month ago today, our son Jerry went to Pulse Nightclub to celebrate his friend’s 21st birthday. Neither he nor the 48 others who were shot and killed ever came home.
In the month since our son was taken from us, it’s heartbreaking to know that the horror of that night has been followed by so many other shootings. More than 2,700 Americans have been killed by gun violence since the shooting in Orlando, and several thousand more injured.
As a country, we continue to ask ourselves, why?
The question we need to ask ourselves is: What now? People filled with hate should not be able to arm themselves. It’s never been clearer that our legislators must act to prevent hateful people from getting guns — and if they fail to act, we must change our legislators.
We’ve been a part of this movement for years — and sadly, now it’s personal. And we’re asking if you can stand with us. Will you pledge to volunteer in your community to elect gun sense champions and create real change in America?
There are those who will say that we can’t do anything to stop gun violence in America because this is the price of freedom — or that the answer is to double down on the dangerous vision of more guns for more people in more places. But doing nothing or arming everyone are not our only options — and they’re recipes for more predictable horrors that will put more lives at risk.
There are those who would like us to give up. To them, we say that our children deserve better. Our son Jerry was a brave and hard-working child who suffered from severe speech issues and wore a full body brace when he was a kid. Yet he never gave up working tirelessly to improve his speech, nor let the body brace stop him from dancing. He was kind and generous to friends and strangers alike and loved working in the Magic Kingdom. It breaks our hearts that, after overcoming so many obstacles, Jerry’s life was cut short simply by going out dancing on a Saturday night.
We need more than their thoughts and prayers. We need action.
Nothing we can do will bring our son back. But that doesn’t mean we should give up fighting to spare other families our heartbreak. We hope that you will join us in that fight.
Fred and Maria Wright
Parents of Jerry Wright, shot and killed June 12, 2016
Everytown Survivor Network
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President Obama: “We are horrified over these events”
Last night 7/7/2016, law enforcement officers in Dallas, Texas who were keeping people safe during a peaceful protest were targeted and attacked.
This morning, President Obama offered a statement on these tragic attacks and made it clear that we as a nation stand united with the people and the police department in Dallas.
“I speak for every single American when I say that we are horrified over these events, and that we stand united with the people and the police department in Dallas … Let’s be clear: There is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks or any violence against law enforcement. The FBI is already in touch with the Dallas police, and anyone involved in these senseless murders will be held fully accountable. Justice will be done.”
Watch the President’s statement, or read it below.
With your understanding, I want to begin with a few words about the situation back in the United States, specifically the situation in Dallas, Texas.
My team has been keeping me updated throughout the morning of the evening in Dallas. I spoke this morning with Mayor Rawlings of Dallas to convey the deepest condolences of the American people. I told him that the federal government will provide whatever assistance Dallas may need as it deals with this tremendous tragedy.
We still don’t know all the facts. What we do know is that there has been a vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement. Police in Dallas were on duty, doing their jobs, keeping people safe during peaceful protests. These law enforcement officers were targeted, and nearly a dozen officers were shot. Five were killed. Other officers and at least one civilian were wounded — some are in serious condition, and we are praying for their recovery.
As I told Mayor Rawlings, I believe that I speak for every single American when I say that we are horrified over these events, and that we stand united with the people and the police department in Dallas. According to police, there are multiple suspects. We will learn more, undoubtedly, about their twisted motivations. But let’s be clear: There is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks or any violence against law enforcement. The FBI is already in touch with the Dallas police, and anyone involved in these senseless murders will be held fully accountable. Justice will be done.
I will have more to say about this as the facts become more clear. For now, let me just say that even as yesterday I spoke about our need to be concerned, as all Americans, about racial disparities in our criminal justice system, I also said yesterday that our police have an extraordinarily difficult job and the vast majority of them do their job in outstanding fashion. I also indicated the degree to which we need to be supportive of those officers who do their job each and every day, protecting us and protecting our communities.
Today is a wrenching reminder of the sacrifices that they make for us. We also know that when people are armed with powerful weapons, unfortunately it makes attacks like these more deadly and more tragic. And in the days ahead, we’re going to have to consider those realities as well.
In the meantime, today our focus is on the victims and their families. They are heartbroken. The entire city of Dallas is grieving. Police across America, which is a tight-knit family, feels this loss to their core. And we’re grieving with them. I’d ask all Americans to say a prayer for these officers and their families. Keep them in your thoughts. And as a nation, let’s remember to express our profound gratitude to our men and women in blue — not just today, but every day.
Watch the President’s statement here.
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