Image courtesy of Community Alliance of Lane County
The March Against Fear will take place this Sunday, June 26, at 10 a.m. A coalition of organizations — the NAACP, Moms Demand Action, Beyond Toxics, HIV Alliance, and many others — organized this march as a response to the ongoing epidemic of gun violence.
Miles Pendleton, Branch President of Springfield/Eugene NAACP, described the intention of the march as changing the narrative on gun violence. “We want to label this conversation on the issue of gun violence what it is. It is domestic terrorism. Especially when its targets are marginalized groups or when it intentionally tries to strike fear into people.” He highlighted the shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas, and ongoing attacks on trans women as attacks on marginalized groups. “And we’re marching, for our most marginalized and vulnerable populations. Our students, our teachers so on and so forth, but then also our underserved, underrepresented marginalized demographic groups.”
The March Against Fear will also have specific action items that will put legislative pressure to pass “common sense” gun laws. Lift Every Voice Oregon, an interfaith based group, will be at the march circulating a petition to get Initiative 17 on the ballot in November. Initiative Petition 17 calls for requiring safety training and background checks before purchasing a gun, prohibiting the sale or possession of magazines over 10 rounds, and improving the gun tracking database. Democratic Party of Lane County will also be at the march registering people to vote. “I’m trying to mobilize people towards that conversation of, in order to effectuate this change, we need to register to vote and then actually execute our right to vote,” Pendleton said.
Pendleton echoed the idea thatl gun violence is domestic terrorism, “You know we’re one of 16 states where domestic terrorism and domestic extremism is not identified or clearly and specifically defined. Nor is there a specific law on the books that clearly outlaws it.”
This march and the coalition of organizers also hopes that in the upcoming legislative session this oversight can be addressed. According to a report from Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, Oregon experienced 11 domestic extremism incidents in 2020 alone. “Over the past decade, Oregon witnessed the sixth-highest number of domestic violent extremism incidents in the nation.”
“This is an essential conversation that our community needs to grapple with so that we never again have to experience the hurt and the trauma that was created in the Thurston shooting or the Roseburg shooting or the WOW Hall shooting,” Pendleton stated. Oregon experienced the country’s first school shooting in Thurston, predating Columbine by less than a year. Measure 5 was passed two years later, expanding background checks for guns bought at gun shows. Oregon hasn’t passed any gun legislation since. Pendleton and the rest of the March Against Fear coalition believes that it is time that “sensible” gun laws are passed.
The march will take place on Sunday, June 26 at 10 a.m. starting at Monroe Park. They will march down Broadway and end in front of the Wayne Morse United States Courthouse with speakers. The organizers are still looking for volunteers to help clean up trash throughout the march, help with set up and tear down, and qualified medics to be on hand if necessary. Volunteers can sign up here to help on Sunday. The march is scheduled to go until 3 p.m. and more information can be found on the event Facebook page.
