Maui Hosts Walk in Remembrance of School Massacre Victims

File photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

A remembrance walk will be held on Maui early Friday morning, December 21, 2012, as a tribute to the memory of the 27 individuals who lost their lives in the deadly Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut last week.

The walk will take place at 4:30 a.m. HST (9:30 a.m. EST) on Friday, to coincide with the actual time of the shooting that occurred a week ago on Friday, December 14, 2012.

Walk 27 organizers on Maui invite the general public to join them, along with Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa, for the 27-minute walk.

Similar 27-minute-themed walks are taking place across the county with each minute representing each of the 27 victims in the shooting tragedy.

“Friday morning is an opportunity to walk together with the nation and the world, share our grief, and remember the lives lost,” said organizers in a press release.  “It is a chance for us as a to share our feelings without requiring us to engage in seemingly endless political discourse – a time for us to just get together and talk story,” organizers stated in the announcement.

Participants are asked to meet at War Memorial Stadium at 4:15 a.m. Walking around the track will begin promptly at 4:30 a.m., and continue for 27 minutes.

Participants are encouraged to wear green and white – the school colors of Sandy Hook Elementary School.  In lieu of a balloon release, individuals and families are encouraged to bring bubbles as a reminder of the innocent lives lost.