RICAGV Responds to Tragic Mass Shooting at Brown University

As a community, a city, and a state, we are shattered. An assailant took the lives of two students at Brown University and injured nine others. This is the third month in a row this country has experienced a mass shooting and the 75th shooting on a school campus this year.

Our hearts go out to the victims and survivors. No family should ever learn from the news that their child’s campus is on lockdown because of an active shooter. No parent should ever receive the call that their child has been killed in a mass shooting.

Our organization — alongside dozens of dedicated community partners — has been working tirelessly for years to prevent exactly this kind of tragedy from happening here. Yet today, we find ourselves grieving the unimaginable on the 13th anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre.

We cannot allow this to become just another statistic in the endless list of mass shootings in this country. We owe these students, their loved ones, and our entire community more than thoughts and prayers. We owe them action — urgent, collective, unwavering action.

We are deeply grateful to the first responders and victim services advocates whose tireless work protected the community and brought the suspect into custody. Their strength and dedication remind us that even in our darkest moments, we are not alone.

This is our shared home, our shared community, and we will feel the impact of this tragedy for a long time to come. As we work through the pain, we must stand together and lead with love, compassion, and unwavering urgency.

The Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence (RICAGV) is a coalition of organizations, activists, advocates, educators, legislators, and community members who address gun violence as an urgent public health issue. Since 2013, RICAGV has utilized the collective power of its membership and grassroots organizing methods to advance programs and policies that will reduce gun violence resulting in safer, healthier Rhode Island communities.

– RICAGV Board of Directors