PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — White vases filled with white flowers neatly spanned across the lawn in front of Independence Hall Tuesday morning. Each vase, all 1,700 of them, represents a person who was shot and killed in Pennsylvania in 2020.
Former Arizona U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her organization unveiled the memorial in the hopes of sending a clear message: Enough is enough.
“Stopping gun violence takes courage,” she said. “The courage to do what’s right. The courage to new ideas. I’ve seen great courage when my life was on the line.”
It’s been 10 years since Giffords survived an assassination attempt in Arizona. She has since dedicated her life’s work to ceasing the violence in this country, beefing up gun laws and inspiring others to take action.
“Now is the time to come together,” she said. “Be responsible. Democrats, Republicans — everyone.”
EMIR Healing Center co-founder Shantay Love-Mason knows what it’s like to lose someone to gun violence. Her brother was killed nearly 25 years ago.
In a perfect world, she said her organization — which stands for Every Murder Is Real — would close its doors.
“My goal is to no longer need me to say to a family, ‘We are here for you to help you move through because your baby was murdered,’ ” she said.
The display at Independence Hall will remain in place through Thursday. But the work goes on.
“We must never stop fighting,” Giffords concluded her remarks. “Be bold. Be courageous. The nation is counting on you.”
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