More than 200 T-shirts created by Wilshire members in honor of gun violence victims have been installed along Abrams Road adjacent to the North Parking Lot. The display, called Vidas Robadas (Stolen Lives), will be up through Sunday, June 9. Each shirt memorializes an individual lost to gun violence in Dallas County since 2018. Colored shirts represent homicide victims, and white shirts represent suicide deaths.
Senior Pastor Timothy Peoples said, “Participating in Stolen Lives is a way for our community of faith to demonstrate our commitment to helping create a safer world for our children and our community. We hope this exhibit takes the data and humanizes it. Each shirt is not just a data point, not just a shirt, but a life.”
The initiative was created in partnership with Texas Impact, an Austin-based interfaith advocacy group. Wilshire’s Christian Advocacy Committee coordinated our efforts.
On Saturday, May 18, a group of Wilshire members attended a rally at Dallas City Hall Plaza where our shirts were displayed along with those created by other local churches. Wilshire member Scott Spreier and Senior Pastor Emeritus George Mason spoke at the rally, which was timed to coincide with the National Rife Association’s annual convention being held nearby.
All are invited to wear orange to church on Sunday, June 9, in observance of National Gun Violence Awareness Day and Wear Orange Weekend. Orange ribbons will be available.
On June 9, the Christian Advocacy Committee will host a letter writing campaign for common sense gun reform.