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Special recognition of National Gun Violence Awareness Month.
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SPECIAL RECOGNITION
WHEREAS, on average, 100 Americans are killed by gun violence each day and there are nearly 13,000 gun homicides every year; and
WHEREAS, Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed with guns than people living in other high-income countries; and
WHEREAS, public safety is one of the County Board's highest responsibilities to the communities it serves; and
WHEREAS, community leaders and law enforcement officers are the most familiar with local criminal activity, what is needed to address it, and are best positioned to understand how to keep citizens safe; and
WHEREAS, innocent lives are lost due to gun violence and suicide every day in the United States, in Illinois and every month in Lake County; and
WHEREAS, in January 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, a teenager tragically murdered in Chicago, Illinois, two weeks after she had marched in the second Presidential inaugural parade of President Barack Obama, would be celebrating her 22nd birthday this year; and
WHEREAS, Hadiya's memory serves as a symbol of innocent life lost to senseless gun violence; and
WHEREAS; in honor of Hadiya, the hundreds of Americans whose lives are being inexplicably cut short, and the countless survivors injured by shootings - a national coalition of organizations designated the first Friday in June as National Gun Violence Awareness Day: and
WHEREAS, the idea of National Gun Violence Awareness Day was inspired by a group of Hadiya's friends who asked classmates to commemorate her memory by wearing orange, a color symbolizing the value of human life and used by hunters to announce themselves to others when out in the woods; and
WHEREAS, anyone may join the campaign by pledging to Wear Orange on June 7th, the first Friday in June 2019, to help raise awareness about gun violence, honor the lives of gun violence victims and survivors; and
WHEREAS, Lake County is committed to encouraging ...
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