Hundreds gather for south Minneapolis march in show of unity, hope after Annunciation attack

Hundreds of people gathered at the Lake Harriet Bandshell on Monday afternoon for a march described as a show of unity, community and hope in the wake of last week’s shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church that killed two children and wounded 21 other people.

Marchers called for tougher gun control measures, urging state lawmakers to take up the matter in a special session.

Gov. Tim Walz on Friday said he was working to drum up support for the effort, though any statewide changes to gun laws would likely face an uphill battle in the divided Legislature.

In a speech kicking off the march, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey reiterated calls to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines at the state and federal levels.

“What I see right now is not just a city that is united in grief, this is a city that is united in action,” said Frey, imploring attendees to vote, donate and campaign for elected officials who support such regulations.

If state and federal governments are “either unwilling or unable to get it done,” the mayor added, they should “give us in Minneapolis the ability to do it ourselves.”

“Do not let this moment pass,” Frey said. “Do not let them wait you out until you slowly forget and you move on to the next thing. You have to keep the pedal to the metal. You have to make sure that our children are safe.”

In the days since Wednesday’s shooting, shows of support for the Annunciation community have come from near and far.

A growing memorial sits outside the Annunciation Church. Neighbors tied ribbons in the school’s blue and green colors to street poles throughout south Minneapolis. Donations poured in for the families of 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski, who were killed, and the families of those injured and those who witnessed the tragedy.

A group of seventh-grade Annunciation students led the marchers on the route winding through neighborhood streets. They were surprised to see so many people show up to support their school, said Nick, 12.

“It’s really showing the message of hope to everyone and spreading awareness,” his friend, Harry, said. Parents had told the boys to only use their first names in media interviews.

“And showing that we can come together,” said John, 13.

“I was just so sick of just using Apple Pay to donate a little bit of money and feeling like that solves a problem,” Dillon said.

He was floored by the march’s turnout. Since the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd, Dillon said he’s at times felt disconnected from the community.

“I hope people use this to stay in community, to find ways to support the community beyond financial donations,” he said.

Kayla Alonso, who heard about the march from a Richfield community page, also sought connections with people and to organize plans for future action, such as efforts to contact lawmakers.

“No one needs an assault weapon,” she said. “There’s lots of people saying, ‘It’s a mental health issue.’ Well, then let’s make it harder for people with mental health issues to get a gun. That’s just not an excuse.”

“We just need more people to be angry and make noise,” Higgs said.

Sara Dornisch, 53, marched on a lakeside trail with a sign saying: “Spoiler alert! It’s the guns.”

“It seems like there is a little bit of a sea change, where even conservative, Catholic people are getting behind the idea that we need common-sense gun control,” she said.