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Mayor de Blasio Announces City Buildings Lit Orange for National Gun Violence Awareness Day

June 2, 2016

NEW YORK––Joining more than 100 mayors in 31 states, Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced New York City will raise awareness for gun violence by lighting City buildings the color orange this evening to honor the second National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 2. The City will light City Hall, Brooklyn Borough Hall, Queens Borough Hall, Bronx Borough Hall, Staten Island Borough Hall and the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building the color orange this evening.

“Today, we light our City buildings orange as a symbol of our pledge to root out gun violence in our city and across the nation. Every New Yorker and American deserves to live in a nation free from gun violence, and we’re proud to join those honoring National Gun Violence Awareness Day today,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I want to thank all our sister cities across the United States who are joining together to honor the lives we have lost to gun violence, and to recommit ourselves to the fight against gun violence.”

The Wear Orange campaign began in 2013 when a small group of Chicago teens came together to honor the life of their friend, 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, whose life was lost due to gun violence. They wore the color orange – the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others. Today, nearly 500 partners around the nation are joining together to support the Wear Orange campaign for National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

“Just as orange road signs warn drivers about potential dangers on our roads, we use orange in the month of June to warn New Yorkers about the continued threat of gun violence in our neighborhoods,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams. “We all have to seize our responsibility to become a part of the solution to this deadly and highly preventable epidemic. Let us recommit to eliminating the flow of illegal guns, demanding that manufacturers create smart gun technology, and offering young men and women in our communities alternatives to gangs and gang violence.”

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