Hundreds of people, including local politicians, activists, and anti-gun-violence advocates, gathered in United Nations Plaza for a noon rally this past Saturday. As we noted last week, the event was organized to call for an end to gun violence and to commemorate the third anniversary of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, in which 20 children were killed.

The rally took place immediately after an 8am gun buyback that same morning at United Playaz, the youth mentoring community center in SoMa. According to United Playaz founder Rudy Corpuz and Ian Johnstone of Gun by Gun, 240 guns were purchased at the buyback; they will all be destroyed.

The day's events also included a 10am screening of the gun violence documentary Shell Shocked at the Main Library. Shell Shocked is a new documentary about gun violence in New Orleans—John Richie, the New Orleans native who made the film, attended the UN Plaza rally. 

The three events were organized in conjunction with the SF Brady Campaign and other organizations dedicated to ending gun violence in the USA.

"I lost my son 24 years ago," said Mattie Scott, president of SF Brady Campaign, as she addressed the crowd. "It paralyzed me. We have to work with the police to save lives. We want them to go home safely to their families, and we want to go safely home to ours."

Mattie Scott, president of SF Brady Campaign.

Scott added that SF Brady was standing up for the kids killed at Sandy Hook, for the "South Carolina 9", a group of black churchgoers killed by white supremacist Dylann Roof in June, and for Mario Woods, who was recently killed by police in the Bayview. 

"All of the faiths came together," said Mattie Scott of the rally, noting that event speakers included Rabbi Beth Singer of Temple Emanuel and Rev. Ishmael Burch of St. Andrew Missionary Baptist Church, who delivered an opening invocation.

KGO TV's Leanne Melendez spoke of the many shootings she's covered since 1998. "It continues today," she said. "We are all tired of this." Melendez added that reporting on gun violence can take its toll. "Reporters do have feelings," she said. "We see the families of the victims."

Chris Plunkett of the San Francisco Youth Commission fought tears as he recalled getting caught in the crossfire of gun violence. Daisy Ozum, a teacher, said that she was "afraid for her community." Ayulah Mitchell said that both of her sons had been shot—one of them fatally.

"We can stop this," Mitchell said.

"Each of you is a beautiful garden," Mattie Scott said as she returned to the stage. ""Today we make a bouquet of peace, change, justice and love. We need love. We need to not be afraid of each other."

Elected officials also addressed the crowd, including Board of Supervisors President London Breed and State Senator Mark Leno.

"We have to look at the numbers," said Leno. "92 shootings a day, 33,000 a year. Since 1970 we have lost more Americans to gun violence than all the wars combined. We now have more mass shootings than there are days in the year."

State Senator Mark Leno.

Leno said that several lawmakers were working on legislation which would hopefully curtail the violence. He mentioned Supervisor David Campos' proposal to require off-duty safety officers to keep weapons left in cars under lock and key in order to prevent gun theft. 

"Gun violence has impacted our communities for far too long," said Breed, recalling the shooting death of her best friend when she was 12. "No one should have to die that way. We have to do more. We have to keep up the pressure to those in Congress and City Hall. We have to get guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them."

"Thoughts and prayers are not enough," said Ian Johnstone of Gun by Gun. "We want to see action. In spite of Congress' inability to do anything we are not powerless."

Mattie Scott and Carletta Jackson-Lane, an SF Brady Campaign member and the Executive Director of the Sojourner Truth Foster Family Service Agency, briefly spoke to Hoodline after the rally.

"The rally was very successful," said Scott. "It finally did what we wanted to do—reach the masses. Different organizations came together for health, healing, solutions, restorations. We must stop the killing and start the healing."

"It takes an entire village to raise a child, and that's what we had on Saturday," added Jackson-Lane.