Orange ribbons, rocks spread message of peace

COEUR d’ALENE — The orange ribbons tied around trees and posts on Sherman Avenue are in recognition of National Gun Violence Awareness Day, which was Friday.

It has, said Alice Arambarri, nothing to do with the hundreds of armed men and women who have been patrolling downtown Coeur d’Alene since Monday.

“It’s a coincidence. It’s a strange coincidence,” she said Friday morning.

Arambarri is the North Idaho leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Students Demand Action. A small group put the bright ribbons in place on both sides of the street on a sunny morning.

One man walked up and asked what the ribbons were about, and promptly got an answer.

“We need to be more aware of the gun violence in this country,” Arambarri said.

Marissa Bershaw, with Students Demand Action, said their efforts are important.

“In North Idaho, a lot of people are gun owners and we have to make sure we are safe and spreading awareness,” she said. “There have been a lot of people with guns out here the past few days. We need to make sure everyone is being safe.”

About 100 people per day in the country are killed by guns in accidents, homicides and suicides, Arambarri said, and hundreds more are wounded each day.

She said Idaho has the 16th-highest rate of gun deaths in the United States, with 87% of those gun deaths being suicide and 9% being homicide.

Along with the ribbons that will remain in place through Sunday as part of Wear Orange weekend, the group placed orange rocks that had the words, “We can end gun violence” around Sherman Avenue and walkways.

As well, the lights at the Greg Moore memorial at McEuen Park were changed to orange Friday night.

Coeur d’Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer issued a proclamation declaring June 5 National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

Arambarri said National Gun Violence Awareness Day and Wear Orange is a nationwide campaign. Some members of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America are choosing to have speakers and meet by Zoom panels for discussion.

“Here in Coeur d’Alene, we decided to make it a visual thing,” she said.

Polina Epshtein, with Students Demand Action, said because the ribbons and rocks are orange, people will notice them and ask, “Why is there orange everywhere?”

The orange is in reference to the color worn by hunters for safety, and a tribute to Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old girl from Chicago who was shot and killed in 2013. After her death, her friends called for people to wear orange to raise gun violence awareness.

Chloe Hanna, also with Students Demand Action, hopes their message is heard.

“I just want to get our view out there in a peaceful way,” she said.