Baltimore 'Wear Orange' Events Will Protest Gun Violence

BALTIMORE, MD — Don't be surprised to see a sea of orange shirts, shoes, socks and headbands in and around town this weekend. Nearly 750 grassroots events are planned nationwide from Friday through Sunday to call for an end to gun violence in America.

The so-called "Wear Orange 2019" campaign events are part of the fifth annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day on Friday, June 7. Three events are scheduled Saturday in Baltimore:

Youth Summit & Rally

Join Students Demand Action Baltimore for their first Wear Orange event at noon Saturday at Coppin State University, 2500 W. North Ave. Live entertainment, a panel with local officials and community activists, food trucks and more.

Wear Orange Bridge-To-Bridge Community Cleanup & Celebration

It's a fun afternoon sprucing up the Mount Olivet neighborhood, followed by a community celebration picnic. The event starts at 3 p.m. Saturday at 301 Font Hill Ave.

Everyone is welcome for a family-friendly afternoon of food, crafts and games. Gloves and safety vests will be provided.

Wear Orange Vigil & Celebration Of Life

A twilight vigil will honor Baltimore victims of gun violence and celebrate the life of Tavon Waters, who died 10 years ago and whose 36th birthday is on Saturday. Candles provided.

The vigil will be at 7 p.m. Saturday at St. Katherine's Park, 2001 Druid Hill Ave.

Why Wear Orange?

More than 100 Americans are killed with guns every day, according to the organization, and guns are the second-leading cause of death for American children. The Wear Orange events, dedicated to honoring victims of gun violence, are meant to elevate the "voice of every American who demands an end to gun violence" throughout the weekend.

Organizers chose the color orange in honor of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, who was gunned down in Chicago a week after performing at President Barack Obama's second inaugural parade in January 2013. Hadiya's friends wore orange in her honor.

Gun safety advocates are spearheading the effort, which has attracted brand partners including Levi Strauss & Co. and Dick's Sporting Goods, as well as celebrities including Julianne Moore, Laura Dern and Keegan-Michael Key. Other cultural influencers and more than 200 mayors plan to partake, as well as U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois.

Dozens of large events are planned in cities such as Baltimore, Boston, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Seattle, San Francisco, South Bend, Tampa and Washington, D.C., organizers said. Moreover, major landmarks and retail stores plan to turn orange as well, including the famed Empire State Building in New York City.

The event comes days after 12 people were killed in a mass shooting at Virginia Beach Municipal Center. As Patch previously reported, mass shootings have become commonplace in America. The Virginia shooting was one of 156 mass shootings as of Monday, which marked just the 154th day of the year. Shootings can only be eligible for the database if at least four people are shot or killed, excluding the gunman.

Americans make up just 4.4 percent of the world's population but own 42 percent of the world's guns, according to a 2016 study by Adam Lankford, an associate criminology and criminal justice professor at the University of Alabama.

Lankford told Patch this week that about 31 percent of the world's public mass shooters attack in America. If mass shootings were evenly distributed around the globe, that number would be closer to 5 percent or less, he said.

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Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.