PSA Of The Day II: Vigil For Texas Teens On Friday

Like most of us, community leader Karolina Longoria was horrified by the tragedy in Texas last week that left one teenage girl dead and the other seriously wounded.  Mary Kristene Chapa and Mollie Judith Olgin, a teen lesbian couple were gunned down in a park in Portland, Texas on Saturday. Mollie, 18 years old, was declared dead at the scene, and Mary Kristene, 19 was rushed to an area hospital. From The Huffington Post:

Investigators told KRIS-TV.com they believe Olgin and Chapa were shot with a large-caliber gun some time around midnight on Friday after being led down a trail and into a grassy area. They were found about 9 hours later. (Police Chief Randy) Wright noted that the case already had “some of the earmarks of a targeted attack,” but said no arrests have yet been made, nor had any suspects been identified.

The LGBTQ community rallied around the victims and their families and vigils are being staged in Texas and cities all over the United States this week. Noticing that apparently nothing had been planned for Seattle, Karolina took some action:

I woke up this morning and read the call for action in an article about this tragic event. I looked online and noticed nobody in Seattle had planned anything so I decided to reach out to different organizations and community members to pull this together and honor these young women.  We must support our youth. We must not stand for violence against any of our community members. We must gather here in Seattle to honor these fearless young ladies and remind our community that we are in this fight against violence together.

Karolina has organized “Support Our Youth!” a vigil for the Texas women and it’s scheduled for this Friday evening, June 29, 2012 at Cal Anderson Park from 7pm to 8pm.

Please join this vigil taking place in Seattle at Cal Anderson Park – Bobby Morris Ball Field (at the corner of Pine and 11th) this Friday, June 29 at 7pm. *Bring signs, candles and flowers*

Call-to-action from from Cleve Jones, LGBT civil rights activist and founder of the AIDS Memorial Quilt:

“Last Friday, as millions of LGBT people and their allies were celebrating Pride, something awful happened in Portland, Texas.

“We need to respond publicly to this tragedy.

“Whoever shot Mary Kristene Chapa and Mollie Judith Olgin, whatever the motive, regardless of where it happened, two beautiful girls were shot and one was killed. We need to honor the memory of Mollie and pray for the recovery of Mary.

“…Mary and Mollie loved each other. Now we need to show our love for them and their families and friends.

Please join this event and encourage friends to organize vigils in their home towns. Please share this event!