HOLLAND, Mich. — People dressed in orange filled Centennial Park in Holland on Sunday for Wear Orange weekend.
The nationwide event aims to honor victims and survivors of incidents involving guns and push for a better future.
“No one is trying to take any guns away from anyone,” said Carolyn Buck. “That's not what we're advocating for at all. We’re just saying, ‘What does it look like to be responsible? What does it look like to be a safe community? And how can we support the most vulnerable in the community?’”
Buck co-founded the Holland chapter of Moms Demand Action last year after the Robb Elementary School shooting, which killed 19 children and two adults.
“I’m a mom… and I just imagine those being my children,” said Buck. “I said, ‘There has got to be something we can do.’ I just don't believe that doing nothing will ever bring any amount of change and so if you're not happy with the situation, there's always something to do.”
Timberlyn Mazeikis, a Michigan State University junior from Holland, spoke at the event about the terror she experienced earlier this year.
“My biggest fear was that if something went wrong, I wouldn't be able to call my mom and my family and tell them one last time that I loved them,” said Mazeikis.
Mazeikis told the crowd that she was at IM West, a gym on MSU’s campus, working as a scorekeeper when the shooting began.
“When one set of doors suddenly open from the outside, people began to scream as we all jumped up and began to run for our lives,” said Mazeikis. “At that moment, I was sure I was about to die. Looking death in the face is a feeling that I cannot shake nearly four months later.”
While difficult to recall, she hopes it helps people better understand the impact of gun violence.
“I am exhausted, and I am fed up, but I stand here today speaking to you, because I know that it does not have to be this way,” said Mazeikis. “We can end gun violence. It is not going to be easy, but our children, our teachers and our loved ones are far too important to stand back and wait for the next shooting. We deserve to feel safe in our schools, our places of worship, our grocery stores, and our communities.”
No local leaders attended the event, but people in attendance wrote and called them, made t-shirts and videos, and offered support to those who have experienced a mass shooting this year with personalized letters.
Jaqueline Frey and her daughter, Oona, 9, hope their letters bring encouragement.
“It can really happen anywhere to anyone,” said Frey. “I think about it anytime that I drop them off at school… It is hard to have those conversations especially because they’re scary, which is why a day like today is really important to give us some hope that we can work together for change and we don’t have to settle for our current reality.”
