Cook County Commissioner Tara Stamps (D-1) announced plans to introduce a new resolution designating June 6 as Gun Violence Prevention Day in Cook County. At a press conference today, fellow county commissioners Dr. Kisha McCaskill (D-5) and Michael Scott Jr. (D-2), Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon, and Cook County Justice Advisory Council (JAC) executive director Avik Das stood alongside Stamps in support of the resolution.
The resolution is inspired by the legacy of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. College Prep High School student who was killed in 2013 just days after she performed at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration with her school’s band. The color orange, which was her favorite color, honors her memory and that of other victims and survivors of gun violence nationwide.
The resolution’s text is not yet available, but it will be formally introduced during the upcoming Cook County Board of Commissioners meeting on Thursday. June 6, also known as National Gun Violence Awareness Day or #WearOrangeDay is largely observed by gun violence prevention advocates, but it’s not a federal or state recognized holiday.
“We are here to address an issue that impacts every single one of us in Cook County and actually it’s bigger than Cook County. This is a national crisis, but it really significantly impacts us here in the state of Illinois and in Cook County,” Stamps said. “Let us be unequivocally clear that gun violence is not just a challenge, it is a crisis, and it has a profound impact on our public health here in Cook County.”
Stamps explained that the resolution also urges all county agencies to acknowledge Gun Violence Prevention Day each year by addressing the root causes of violence through educational outreach, employee participation, public engagement, and support for youth.
“This resolution, which we are here to support today, is a critical and necessary step in formally recognizing the undeniable truth that the statistics are heartbreaking and demand our urgent attention,” Stamps said.
According to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, there were nearly 700 gun-related homicides in 2024, a decrease of 9% from 2023 and more than 1,000 from 2021.
“The headlines are all too familiar: another shooting, another child lost, another family shattered over time. It’s easy to grow numb because the violence feels endless, and sometimes we feel helpless,” Gordon said. “So let me be clear, we are not powerless. Gun violence is one of the greatest public health emergencies of our time, and there is always more than we can do.”
She added that the resolution and raising awareness through campaigns aren’t just symbolic in nature; they are ways to show collective power and can drive change.
During his remarks at the press conference, Scott spoke about how gun violence touches the lives of every Chicagoan and how it’s impacted his life personally. His father, Michael Scott Sr., died in 2009. (Scott says his father was shot and killed on the West Side, but his body was found in the Chicago river and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death a suicide). Scott also lost a cousin to gun violence. He emphasized the need for reforms in gun laws at the federal level, as well as violence prevention funding.
“We need to meet people where they are with resources that heal, not punish,” Scott said. “I’m proud to stand with residents and community organizations within the second district who are doing the work every day, interrupting violence, mentoring youth, and building safe spaces from the ground. Let’s move forward together with urgency and compassion and a deep belief that our communities deserve better, and together, we can deliver that.”
The JAC coordinates and implements Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s criminal and juvenile justice reform efforts and community safety initiatives.
Dak highlighted the county’s investments in violence prevention programming since 2021.
“Over $110 million from the American Rescue Plan Act has been stewarded through Justice Advisory Council’s grant-making efforts to a network of over 150 community-based organizations doing different models of gun violence prevention and reduction work in communities most impacted by gun violence,” Das said.
In April, the JAC, alongside state and city leaders, announced the launch of a new $20 million grant to support community violence intervention efforts in Chicago and suburban Cook County. The grant will fund services such as street outreach and case management for residents most at risk of being victims or perpetrators of gun violence.
Stamps’ resolution follows the efforts of U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) and U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who introduced the Wear Orange Resolution, designating June 6 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day and the month of June as National Gun Violence Awareness Month. Their resolution also honors Pendleton.
“We remember the victims and their families, and we are recommitting ourselves as a board to supporting evidence-based, community-led solutions that will protect the lives that we hold so dear,” Stamps said.
