When is Enough Enough?
Sensible Gun Reform
It started as sign for a March for our lives protest
When I heard about the March for Our Lives protest being organized by the courageous students at Marjory Stone-man Douglas High School to motivate people from all over the U.S. to get out in the streets to demand congress do something about the gun violence crisis in America I went to studio to start making a sign.
It quickly grew into something beyond a protest sign and eventually became the When is Enough Enough Sensible Gun Reform installation.
The focal point of this piece is to honor the lives that were senselessly killed before they were able to live out their dreams.
An integral part of the work is to spark a conversation about the gun violence epidemic in America — why is it so frequent and what can be done about it?
The Design
The artwork has two white bands located at the top of the banner and the bottom section of the work. These bands include the location where the shooting happened and the date it took place and are color-coded that correspond to the circles and ribbons.
I chose bright colors and glitter glue to signify the bright souls that were taken too soon. Each circle contains the name and age of the person murdered during the shooting.
The diamond teardrops on the ribbons represent the number of people who suffered injuries from the shooting.
A public forum on sensible gun reform was held in 2018 at East Side Freedom Library
East Side Freedom Library hosted a panel of leading advocates for sensible gun reform. Featured speakers included:
Sami Rahamim, a gun prevention advocate who spoke about losing his father in a mass shooting.
Protect Minnesota’s Executive Director Rev. Nancy Nord Bence, and Director of Partnerships Ayolanda Evans led discussions on the progress they have made to address gun violence in Minnesota as well as what the public can do to ensure all children a safe start and future.
Representative Tim Mahoney and Senator John Marty to discuss what they are doing to address gun reform and answer questions.
Attendees were invited to write messages on postcards stating what they believe are the causes of gun violence, the solutions to prevent it, and left their responses at the foot of the “When is Enough Enough?” display.
The event was free and open to the public who were invited to be a part of the conversation about the causes of America’s gun epidemic and what we can do to encourage our politicians to take action.
