Washington Heights Pol Hosts National Gun Violence Vigil

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — An Upper Manhattan elected official hosted an awareness event and vigil on Friday for national gun violence.

The event took place at the J. Hood Wright Park Recreation Center from 5 to 7 p.m. The entrance to the center is at West 173rd Street and Fort Washington Avenue.

"We cannot bear the weight of such immense devastation any longer. In honor of National Gun Violence Awareness Day, our communities are coming together to demand peace, action, and an end to gun violence," Jackson's office said in a news release.

Jackson hosted the event along with the North Manhattan Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Here are a collection of other groups that supported the Washington Heights event.

• Manhattan District Attorney Office
• Moms Demand Action
• Students Demand Action
• United Federation of Teachers
• Uptown Stories
• Uptown Youth Collective
• Northern Manhattan Improvement Coalition
• Girl Scouts of Inwood

Attendees were encouraged to wear orange, a symbol of remembrance for the victims of gun violence.

There have been more than 200 mass shooting across the United States since the beginning of the year, which is more than the number of days in 2023.