Bartlett resident Nicole Johnson could have stayed home and enjoyed a summer’s evening with family on Wednesday night, but instead came to an event outside the Kane County Courthouse in downtown Geneva to let her feelings be known about gun violence in the wake of the mass shooting in Highland Park Monday.
“I’m a mom and a teacher and for my entire career I’ve had to deal with practicing for lockdowns and things like that,” she said. “I’ve been teaching in St. Charles for 17 years and I just felt like, this is enough. I started joining some of the anti-gun rallies and getting involved in things online this summer.”
The mass shooting at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park on Monday was the impetus behind the candlelight vigil organized by the Kane County Democrats in Geneva Wednesday night.
The approximately one-hour gathering that began at 8 p.m. included a number of elected officials, candidates and activists along with residents who came to express their feelings in the wake of the tragedy in Highland Park.
Arad Chaim Boxenbaum, 21, of Geneva, helped to organize the event and said based on Facebook postings and other social media sites he expected a group of about 75 people.
By 8 p.m. the late-arriving crowd easily numbered over 100.
“We shouldn’t be here tonight,” Boxenbaum said, but that the events of July 4 in Highland Park made it imperative.
“I think this vigil is going to be impactful because it (the shootings) was so recent,” he said before the event.
“This is a matter of remembering lives that were lost and remembering what’s at stake and what we need to do to make sure we don’t have mass shootings like this again,” he said.
Many in attendance carried signs sporting simple words like “Enough” as well as T-shirts like that worn by Johnson that said, “If Not Now When #End Gun Violence.”
“I think coming to things like this helps get the word out there and I try to share things on social media and it’s a nice message that doesn’t take away from people’s rights if they want to own a gun – it’s more about gun safety if they have it and for us to be safe in our everyday situations,” Johnson said.
Many of those in attendance empathized with the people of Highland Park.
Nancy Huntsha of St. Charles said she “wanted to be part of this group that is showing support for Highland Park.”
“Maybe by our actions – which aren’t much – they’ll (the Highland Park people) feel our support and our caring,” she said.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
