On Christmas, I mentioned that my resolution for the coming year was to combat gun violence. Jessica responded and let us know that a group from Wallingford and beyond has started a group to do just that:
Last Sunday I volunteered my living room for a meeting of people who wanted to “do something”. Next Sunday, the 30th, will be the meeting wherein we decide what to do. I started a Facebook group (it’s called the Densmore Working Group) for folks to toss up ideas and start dialogues and I’ve been talking with all sorts of people from Washington Ceasefire to professors to activists, legislators and other parents.
If you’re interested in “doing something” with a bunch of other folks, instead of going it alone, we’ll be going forward as CHAI, the Come Home Alive Initiative.
My living room will be open every other Sunday at 3pm until we’re done. All are welcome, folks (like me) who’d prefer a gun-free world and gun enthusiasts who want to do the work to make our community safer. We’re not limiting our conversation to “change the culture” or “change the law” – we’re talking about both. This won’t get better until we all start talking to each other and making change together.
I asked her for more details, and this is what she sent:
Come Home Alive Initiative: The Come Home Alive Initiative (CHAI) is committed to a violence-free America so our children come home alive from school or play, soldiers come home alive from our wars, and each of us finds in our minds a place to which we may come home alive. CHAI is a group of parents, educators, and activists who came together in the wake of the Connecticut school shootings to lobby for legislation, dismantle our nation’s culture of fear and violence, and raise awareness of peaceful alternatives.
*The word CHAI, when pronounced one way, is Hebrew for ‘Life,’ and when pronounced another way, is a beverage around which people gather and bond in community.
If you’re interested in getting involved, join the Densmore Working Group Facebook page or contact Jessica directly. I’ll see you there!
I woke up last night to the sound of 5-6 gunshots in the area around 37th Ave N and Carr Pl.
was I just dreaming? Does anyone have more information on this?
I’m happy to report that they were not gunshots. I looked out my window and saw fireworks being set off across the street at a rental on Carr Place. I didn’t see the people but I saw the fireworks.
There’s also Washington Ceasefire who is planning a rally in Westlake Park on Sunday Jan 13th at 1:30pm. http://www.washingtonceasefire.org