This Wednesday, June 2 at 9am, our first guest will be Justin Bloom, founder and board member of Suncoast Waterkeeper. We’ll talk about the recent Piney Point spill and about their upcoming lawsuit to sue the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, HRK Holdings and the Manatee County Port Authority for releasing hundreds of tons of toxic pollutants into Tampa Bay and groundwater, endangering the public, marine ecosystems and protected species.
We’ll also talk about Phosphogypsum, a radioactive, toxic waste created by the fertilizer industry. Phosphogypsum is stored in stacks like PIney Point, rather than placed in a landfill or recycled, because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined the radon gas it emits presents an unacceptable risk to public health.
Our second guest will be Ashley Murphy. Ashley is the local volunteer leader for the Sarasota group of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
We’ll talk about Wear Orange which is an awareness event that takes place June 4-6, the first weekend of National Gun Violence Awareness Month in June. Activists across the nation plan events to honor victims and survivors of gun violence. Wear Orange was started by friends of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year old who was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago, just one week after performing at President Obama’s 2nd inaugural parade in 2013. Orange is the color that Hadiya’s friends chose to honor her and it is also the color that hunters typically wear in the woods as a safety measure to prevent shootings. After Hadiya’s death, her friends and family asked us to stand up, speak out, and Wear Orange to raise awareness about gun violence during her birthday month in June.
Moms Demand Action Sarasota, supported by Everytown for Gun Safety and in collaboration with Streets of Paradise and Ringling Museum, is hosting a virtual event on June 5th from 2pm to 4pm that will involve creating art to represent healing and hope for our community.
All registered participants can pick up free art supplies and a canvas from the Streets of Paradise’s Love~Art~Repeat gallery in downtown Sarasota and return their completed art to be displayed as part of a community mosaic throughout the month of June at the gallery. The event will also feature guided mediation, musical performances, spoken word, and stories of hope from community leaders.
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