Gun violence survivors and faith leaders announced several events all across the state of Michigan for the “Silance of Violence” month of action.
Silence the Violence began as a march organized by the Church of Messiah on Detroit’s East Side in 2007 in response to a series of gun deaths. Today, it’s grown into an annual thousand-person march and has inspired supported events across Michigan during the month of June. June is also “Wear Orange” month, organized by Moms Demand Action.
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“We are taking our pain and turning it into power,” said Pastor Barry Randolph of Church of the Messiah in Detroit. “For years, we marched to honor the innocent victims of gun violence and to spread a message of hope and peace. Now, we’re also marching to celebrate all the new gun laws that we’ve won that are already saving lives.”
The month’s headline event, the Detroit Silence the Violence March takes place on Saturday, June 7 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Church of Messiah, 231 E. Grand Boulevard. The event will begin with a rally, where numerous local elected officials are confirmed to attend, including Senator Ellisa Slotkin and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. The march will be led by the church’s marching band and will end at a community resource fair.
“Gun violence can, and does, happen in any community,” said Maddie Johnson with No Future Without Today in a release. She’s a survivor of the Oxford shooting, “The reality is that none of us will be safe until all of us are safe. That’s why we’re going to keep marching in Oxford. We need to remember our friends and what we’ve lost and remind ourselves of the power we have to change things.”
There is a march from Centennial Park in Oxford on June 28 at 10 a.m.
A full list of events happening this month can be found below:
- 6/6 Grosse Pointe Woods: Grosse Pointe Woods City Hall 20025 Mack Plaza Dr. 4:00 - 6:00pm (Silent Vigil)
- 6/6 St. Joseph: 914 Lane Dr. St. Joseph 49085 Time TBD (Candlelight Vigil)
- 6/7 Detroit: Church of the Messiah 10:00am - 2:00pm (Press Conference and March)
- 6/7 Ypsilanti: Prospect Park E Cross St. Ypsilanti 48197 12:00 - 4:00pm (Community Outreach Event)
- 6/8 Flint: Vernon Chapel AME Church 5802 Dupont St. 48505 Time TBD (Guest Speaker and GVP Display)
- 6/11 Virtual: Interfaith Training for Clergy on Using Michigan’s New Gun Safety Laws to Prevent Suicide and Domestic Violence, 10:00 am (register for Zoom here.
- 6/12 Muskegon: Violence Knows No Boundaries, 5pm-8pm, 650 Wood St (Youth-led community conversation)
- 6/13 Canton: Heritage Park 1150 S. Canton Center Rd. Canton Twp. 48188 1:00 - 11:00pm (GVP Booth at Liberty Fest)
- 6/17 Virtual: Extreme Risk Protection Orders Training, 7:00 PM (register on Zoom here.
- 6/21 Ann Arbor: St. Aidan’s 1679 Broadway St, Ann Arbor 48105 5:00 - 8:00pm (Resources and Remembrance Service)
- 6/21 Grand Haven: Downtown Grand Haven, march concluding at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 524 Washington Avenue, Grand Haven 11:00am - 1:00pm (Silent March and Soul Box Project)
- 6/28 Oxford: Centennial Park 41 S Washington St. Oxford 48371 10:00am - 1:00pm (Speakers and March)
- 6/28 Saginaw: Bethel AME 535 Cathay St. Saginaw 48601 3:00 - 6:00pm (Giffords Documentary Screening and Panel)
- 6/28 Detroit: O’Hair Park 19400 Pembroke Ave, Detroit 48219 3:30 - 6:00pm (Charles W. Reid Annual March and Rally)
- Every Friday and Saturday in June: Disarmory Ministries 2312 Greenfield Road, Berkley, MI 10:00am - 2:00pm (Gun Buyback and On-Site Gun Destruction)
- Weds-Sun in June: The Gun Violence Memorial Project at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) 4454 Woodward Ave. Detroit 48201