14K empty shoes outside the US Capitol, to represent every child killed with a gun since the Sandy Hook Massacre: http://bit.ly/2DoveZw
Posted by WLOS ABC 13 on Tuesday, March 13, 2018
On March 12th, the global advocacy group, Avaaz, laid out 7,000 pairs of children’s shoes outside of on the southeast lawn of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., in memory of every child who has died due to gun violence.
The 14,000 shoes serve as an installment that organizers called, “Monument for our Kids.” They represent every child that was killed by gunfire since the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012.
This dramatic and influential organization is only five years old. Their name, Avaaz means “voice” or “song” in a Persian dialect. This activation is a precursor to the March 14th National School Walkout, where thousands of students across the nation plan to walk out of their classes as a demonstration of their outrage to the lack of movement on gun control.
Over a two week period, Avaaz collected shoes from all over the country. Some of the shoes (notably elementary and middle school sizes) were donated by families that lost their children to gun violence.
“About five families came that were victims of gun violence,” says Oscar Soria, senior campaigner with the protest group.
