Electoral Kickoff 2022

On Monday, August 29, Squirrel Hill Stands kicked off a season of electoral action. Because - to get good gun legislation, we need to elect good gun legislators. Eve Wider kicked off the event with a slide show of the events we have held over the summer. We then heard from Lara Putnam, a noted historian and democracy expert, on the importance of the upcoming November 8 election and some important points about the electorate. Mandy Steele, a gun safety advocate running for election in PA House District 33 talked to us about her race and what she hopes to bring to Harrisburg. Mandy's district is one of the districts it will be essential for gun safety advocates to win if we hope to move gun legislation in the upcoming legislative session. The GREAT NEWS is that due to redistricting, this seat is winnable. Plus it's an open seat (no incumbent), improving our chances further. Dana Kellerman then talked about which races Squirrel Hill Stands will be working on most heavily and shared opportunities to get involved.

The races we are going to be working the hardest on are

1. Mandy Steele - State House representative candidate in HD-33

2. Arvin Venkat - State House Representative candidate in HD-30

3. Chris Deluzio - Candidate for Congress in PA-17

4. State Senator Lindsey Williams - Running for re-election in SD-38

We have a great group of gun safety advocates to support. So let's get busy.

Hover over the TAKE ACTION button at the top of the page to find out how.

Squirrel Hill Stands at Juneteenth

On June 18 we joined our partner organization CeaseFirePA to march in solidarity with our Black friends and neighbors, from the Hill District to Downtown in the Juneteenth parade. Turnout was fantastic and we met lots of folks also concerned about gun violence. We called attention to the marked racial disparity in the toll that gun violence takes on communities. And while we have a very long way to go, we also celebrated how far we have all come. After all, Juneteenth, Emancipation Day, celebrates June 19, 1865 when Union soldiers brought news of slavery's end to Galveston, Texas,

Catching Up

It has been a devastating few weeks and while we have been busy advocating for better gun laws, we have not been busy keeping you all updated on our doings.

March For Our Lives

Today, we joined hundreds of like minded folks (and some fantastic young people from March for Our Lives) for a moving and inspiring rally at Mellon Park. We heard from a gun violence survivor from the Virginia Tech shooting, community organizers who see and live the daily toll gun violence takes in our local communities of color, from other gun safety advocates on how to push for better gun laws and from Squirrel Hill Stands member Miri Rabinowitz, whose husband Jerry was murdered in the October 27, 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue. ALL of the speakers were moving but Miri's words, including her reaction to the shooting of 19 children and two teachers at Uvalde, were incredibly powerful.

Wear Orange for Gun Violence Awareness

Last weekend we joined CeaseFirePA and Moms Demand Action to participate in Wear Orange for Gun Violence Awareness. The weekend was kicked off by a proclamation by Pittsburgh mayor Ed Gainey. Squirrel Hill Stands members and gun violence survivors Dan Leger and Miri Rabinowitz were in attendance. This event was followed by a community gathering to elevate the voices of gun violence survivors and a walk. The speakers were moving and inspiring and the commitment to action was palpable.

Please check out our past events for more on what we have been up to.