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Huntersville issues gun violence and Pride proclamations; residents and elected officials speak in support
Summary
Mayor Christy Clark proclaimed June 7 National Gun Violence Awareness Day and declared June Pride Month in Huntersville. Multiple residents and Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board member Melissa Easley urged continued town support for LGBTQ residents and for gun-violence prevention; speakers said visibility and public declarations can affect youth
Mayor Christy Clark read two proclamations at the start of the June 3 Huntersville Town Board meeting: one declaring June 7 National Gun Violence Awareness Day in Huntersville and another proclaiming June as Pride Month in the town.
The gun-violence proclamation cited national and state figures and called for community-based solutions to reduce firearm deaths. “Now, therefore, I, Christy Clark, mayor of Huntersville, do hereby proclaim June 7 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day in Huntersville, North Carolina,” the proclamation read. Local advocates joined the mayor for a photo following the reading.
During the public-comment period that followed, multiple residents thanked the mayor for the Pride proclamation and urged continued, visible support for LGBTQ people. Manisha Parekh, a Huntersville resident and clinical psychologist, told the board that public acceptance reduces suicide risk among LGBTQ youth, citing the Trevor Project’s 2024 national survey: “Of the 18,000 LGBTQ-plus individuals between the ages of 13 to 24 who were surveyed, 39 percent of them had seriously considered attempting suicide the year before…those who reported living in very accepting communities attempted suicide at less than half the rate of those who reported living in very unaccepting communities,” Parekh said.
Scott Cornett, a Huntersville resident, said proclamations bring “a level of comfort and love” to people who have experienced fear or violence related to their sexual orientation. Melissa Easley, an elected member of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board and a Huntersville resident, said the proclamation matters not only as symbolism but as an affirmation that “LGBTQ people belong in Huntersville.” Easley criticized “recycled fear tactics” in backlash to the proclamation and urged elected leaders to support inclusion in policy and practice as well as in proclamations.
Reverend Sharon Reshner (noted as Reverend in public comment) thanked the mayor for the gun-violence proclamation and recounted a personal loss to underscore the human cost of firearm attacks.
Speakers emphasized that proclamations are symbolic acts that can contribute to a safer community climate and visibility for vulnerable youth. No formal policy or ordinance changes were proposed as part of the proclamations; both were read and recorded during the meeting and photographed.
