VIDEO: Maui Walks in Memory of Sandy Hook Victims

Walk 27 Maui. Photo by Wendy Osher.

[flashvideo file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCH1fjvCITs /] By Wendy Osher

Dozens of people participated in a remembrance walk held on Maui early this morning 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 took place at 4:30 a.m. HST (9:30 a.m. EST) at War Memorial Stadium in Wailuku, to coincide with the actual time of the shooting that occurred a week ago on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012.

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

The sound of taiko drums could be heard as each minute passed during the Maui walk, while bubbles floated through the air as a reminder of the innocence lost.

“When we have a disaster or catastrophe like we did in Connecticut, with so many people being killed – so many young children –  it’s gratifying to know that everybody in our nation recognizes the fact that this was something that was terribly wrong, and that we all can unite behind a common cause, and these kinds of things should never ever happen again,” said Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa.

Walk 27 Maui. Photo by Wendy Osher.

“We just grieve for everyone who has lost a loved one; and as a nation, we grieve for whenever these kinds of actions occur. We have to recognize the fact that this could happen in any community. This community in Connecticut was a very low-key community, very similar to our county where you’d never expect this kind of incident to occur,” said Mayor Arakawa.

Mayor Arakawa thanked walk participants for coming out for the memorial event saying it sends a very strong message that “we really do care, and that everybody is sympathetic to what happened.”

“We send our best regards, our sorrow, to the family, friends and parents of those who lost lives.”