14 OCTOBER 6 - OCTOBER 12, 2017 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP
Brooklyn stands with Vegas
victims at Borough Hall vigil
BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK
MMCGOLDRICK@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
Brooklyn stood with Vegas Tuesday
night, October 3 as local
residents, advocacy groups
and elected officials gathered at the
steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209
Joralemon Street, to honor those lives
lost at the Route 91 Harvest Country
Music Festival on Sunday, October 1.
"We should not have to have
a Vegas Vigil, but here we
are," tweeted Borough
President Eric Adams
following the
event, stressing
that attendees'
one demand is
to "End gun
violence."
About 20,000
concert-goers
were attending the
music festival Sunday
night when,
at around
10 p.m.,
shots rang
out. The
gunman —
64-year-old Stephen Paddock — fired
from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay
Bay hotel — across the way from the
venue — killing at least 59 people and
injuring more than 500. Paddock, of
Mesquite, Nevada, had been staying
in the hotel room since September 28.
In it, 42 weapons were found.
“We need to be very clear that now
is the time for everyday Americans to
raise their voices, and come together
to remove the threat of guns and violence
from this country,” said Adams.
“Americans should not have to gamble
with their lives by merely being in
public view.”
The attack is being referred to as the
deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history,
surpassing the Orlando nightclub attack
last year in which 50 people died
and 53 were wounded.
“It is amazing how much power
we have to actually deal with this
craziness and do nothing," contended
Councilmember Jumaane Williams at
the vigil. "There are two reasons we
do nothing — because the gun lobby
and the National Rifle Association
want more money and our Republican
congressmembers are cowards and
they want another job and another
term. Those are the only two reasons
we don't have what we need when it
comes to gun control."
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photos by
Corazon Aguirre
Scenes from the Vigil for
Vegas held outside Borough
Hall on Tuesday, October 3 to
draw attention to gun violence
and the victims it claims.