nothin New Haven Independent | Shoreline Organizes for “March For Our Lives”

Shoreline Organizes for March For Our Lives”

With Permission

Guilford is becoming the shoreline nexus for the March For Our Lives” event planned for Saturday, March 24, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. It’s part of growing, worldwide effort, driven by social media, to call attention to the lives lost to gun violence and the need for stricter legislation. To date, more than 700 events are expected to take place.

Plans coalesced all over the country for marches in response to the shootings Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Guilford resident Frank Blackwell (top photo), a Guilford-based photographer, writer, and corporate filmmaker, began planning for the event immediately after the shooting.

March For Our Lives” follows on the heels of the March 14 National School Walkout for Gun Control in which students all over the country and Washington, D.C., walked out of classes yesterday, calling for stronger gun control laws on the one-month anniversary of the Parkland shooting.

The march is organized officially under Every Town for Gun Safety,” a four million-member nationwide movement of Americans working together to end gun violence and build safer communities.

State Reps. Sean Scanlon and Lonnie Reed and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal are among the speakers. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, an outspoken advocate for gun control, is committed to the Washington, D.C., march, but his office will send a statement that will be read by Scanlon. All in all, Blackwell said he really wants more students to speak out.

Poetry readings and other performances are being encouraged and it is hoped that a band shell for music will be installed for the day.

Events Outlined

The .8‑mile route around the green is as follows: From the green at the corner of Boston and Whitfield, down Whitfield on the sidewalk past Amarone’s Restaurant, continuing down Whitfield, left on Summer Street crossing Whitfield Street to Summer Street, taking a left back onto Whitfield and heading back along the Whitfield sidewalk all the way back to the green. At that point, there will be an opportunity to mingle, hang out a bit, visit tables that will be set-up for the event, and read each other’s signs.

A sign-making event ahead of the march will take place at the Branford Art Center Gallery and Workshop, 1229 Main St., on Thursday, March 22, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Blackwell said the League of Women Voters will be there and he is rounding up students from Branford, Guilford, Madison, Clinton, and Killingworth to spread the word that any turning 18 by voting day can register to vote at the march. Great response from Branford by so many people,” Blackwell said. I expect several hundred from Branford to attend.”

Members from Shoreline Village, a community of seniors committed to helping each other live independently at home, will also be at the march. Dr. Randy Reinhold, one of the organization’s founders and currently its treasurer, urged members to participate. Reinhold lives in Branford. You will need to bring your own folding chair if you need one,” he told his membership. 

Blackwell has obtained all permitting, including a noise variance, and reports that the Guilford Police Department has waived the cost of extra police coverage, which was a big expense. The Guilford Police have been amazingly supportive at every step of the planning stages of this event. They have met with me, worked with me and guided me along the way,” wrote Blackwell in a Facebook post. Facebook has been a critical tool in organizing the march.

Volunteers Needed for Committees

Help is still needed with the following committees:

Program Committee: Manages stage set-up, PA system, speaker and talent list, and associated logistics.

Student Leader Committee: Manages, informs, gathers, organizes and encourages student participation.

Set-up Committee: Arrive at green early on event day to organize tables, rope off handicap seating, place cones for handicap drop-off, work with other early arrivers as needed.

Clean-up Committee: Stay after event to help us make everything look like no one was ever there.

Route Sign and Preparation Committee: Make signs that mark the starting point of the march and that clearly direct people along the correct route of the march.

Despite overwhelming public support for stronger gun control legislation, the Republican-led Congress has refused to act and Donald Trump’s position has been inconsistent. As a result, states have taken up the task of passing legislation with Connecticut passing some of the strongest laws after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in December 2012.

To help out with the event, message Blackwell through Facebook at March For Our Lives Guilford, CT.”

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