Buffalo, NY – Mayor Byron W. Brown, joined by the WNY Peace Center, and New Yorkers Against Gun
Violence, announced they will sponsor a “March for our Lives” rally in Niagara Square followed by a
march, on Saturday, March 24, 2018, at 1:00 p.m., in solidarity with the anti-gun violence demonstrations
taking place in Washington, D.C. and across the nation.
Buffalo Public School Student Fariyah Ibrahim Diriye said, “Across our nation and in our communities,
too many of my peers have become victims of gun violence because there are no laws to prevent these
weapons from getting into the wrong hands. Our federal representatives tell us that it’s not the guns that
are the problem but people. I, and millions of other students, will no longer accept that there is no good
answer to that question. Our voices will be heard and Congress must pay attention.”
“I am proud to join with the students and other members of our community who are united against gun
violence by supporting the March for Our Lives movement in Buffalo,” said Mayor Byron W. Brown. “We
must protect our children from all senseless gun violence, and I call upon our federal representatives to
enact sensible and responsible gun control legislation.”
The March for Our Lives Buffalo event will give local residents an opportunity to add their voices to those
gathering in our nation’s capital, as well as in cities and towns across America, who are demanding that
Congress act on this critical issue now. The rally will begin with remarks from the steps of Buffalo City
Hall and be followed by a march through downtown.
“We need to stop the violence - which requires reducing guns and weapons,” said Victoria Ross, Executive
Director of the WNY Peace Center. “The youth know this and are leading the way for a culture of peace
that we so desperately need.”
Paul McQuillen, Upstate Coordinator for New Yorkers Against Gun Violence said, “We are proud to
partner with the students of Buffalo and Western New York to send a message to our legislators, that the
lives of our students and children must take precedence over the profits of the gun lobby. The students
have emboldened a new generation of activists and they are focused on safety from gun violence, in their
homes, in their schools and in their communities.”
The March for Our Lives event in Washington, D.C. was first announced by students from Marjory
Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 students and faculty lost their lives after a gunman entered
their school, and the nonprofit organization Everytown for Gun Safety. Soon, students from across the
nation were planning similar marches and rallies in their own hometowns. The March for Our Lives
movement has become a catalyst for a national conversation on gun control legislation.
PARTNERS IN MARCH FOR OUR LIVES BUFFALO INCLUDE:
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
ACCESS of WNY Activists of Buffalo
Back To Basics
Boys and Men of Color Council
Buffalo Board of Block Clubs
Buffalo Parent-Teacher Organization (BPTO)
Buffalo Peacemakers Violence Prevention Program
Buffalo Public Schools
Buffalo Urban League
Concerned Clergy Coalition of WNY
Delaware Pediatric Associates
El Buen Amigo & LACA Non-Profit
Episcopal Diocese of WNY
HEAL International Inc.
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church – Buffalo, NY
Interfaith Peace Network of WNY
Ismail & Co, Lifesavers
Justice for Migrant Families
Tom Makar
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
Mothers Against Gun Violence
My Brothers Keeper
NAACP, Buffalo Chapter
Naomi Chapter No. 10 P.H.O.E.S
National Action Network, Buffalo Chapter
New Yorkers Against Gun Violence
Oishei Childrens Hospital
Open Buffalo@Pax Christi WNY
Orchard Park Pediatrics & Young Adult Medicine
Partnership for the Public Good
Peace, Justice & Nonviolence Festival and Walk
(WNY Peace-Justice-Nonviolence Advocates)
Peacejam Buffalo
Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York
Police Athletic League
Push Buffalo
Rahama
Riverside Salem Environmental Cottage
SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center For Nonviolence
School by School
Sister District for Western New York, a NYPAN Chapter
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
St. Joseph’s University RC Church
St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral
StandUp WNY
Stop the Violence Coalition
Stronger Together WNY, Corp.
The Belle Center
Unite by Night
W.A.V.E. Buffalo
We Exist Coalition
Western New York Pediatrics
Williamsville Pediatrics
WNY Anti-Violence Project WRITE TO RESIST
WNYmedia Network
WNY Peace Makers
Women’s Resistance Revival Chorus
MEMBERS OF THE CLERGY
Dr. Ivory Daniels, White Rock Missionary
Baptist Church
Pastor Alberto Lanzot, Primera Iglesia
Metodista Unida
Pastor Craig Pridgen, True Bethel Baptist Church
Pastor James Giles, Buffalo Peacemakers,
SNUG and Voice Buffalo
Pastor Jason Whitaker, Emanuel Temple
Church of God
Pastor Kenneth Simmons, Cold Spring Bible Chapel
Rev. Anthony Brown, Buffalo SNUG
Rev. Dr. James A. Lewis, III,
Miracle Missions Church
ELECTED OFFICIALS
Mayor Byron W. Brown
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz
Erie County Legislator Peter Savage, III
Erie County Legislator Barbara Miller-Williams
Erie County Legislator April Baskin
Senator Tim Kennedy
Assembly Member Crystal Peoples-Stokes
Assembly Member Sean Ryan
Buffalo Common Council President Darius Pridgen
Buffalo Common Councilmember Chris Scanlon
Buffalo Common Councilmember David Rivera
Buffalo Common Councilmember Joel Feroleto
Buffalo Common Councilmember Joseph Golombek, Jr.
Buffalo Common Councilmember Rasheed Wyatt
Buffalo Common Councilmember Richard Fontana
Buffalo Common Councilmember Ulysees Wingo, Sr.
To register your organization as an official partner, contact pressoffice@city-buffalo.com