By: David Weinstein
Perhaps in the same way the masses have changed the focus and path of the nation through demonstration, Mother’s Day 2000 may ultimately be remembered as the day a movement gained identity.
And who better to lead a charge than your mother?
At 6 a.m. Sunday, 22 people from the area, some from South Brunswick and Monroe, boarded a bus for bound for Washington, D.C., and the Million Mom March.
“It was nine months of planning that came together when we got on that bus,” said Kim Ward Basco, a Dayton resident who coordinated the South County drive for the Million Mom March.
“To feel the energy down there, it was a tremendous experience,” she said.
Estimates vary, but somewhere between 600,000 and 800,000 people marched on Washington, D.C., this Mother’s Day.
Telling true stories, shedding real tears and most of all, marching for a redress of grievances, moms, kids and others converged in waves, hoping to splash federal and local lawmakers with their concern.
That concern: sensible gun laws; laws to keep firearms from the fingers of children.
These mothers, too, were seeking laws to require locks on firearms, laws to keep criminals from buying guns and laws that require the registration of guns, much like the registration of cars.
And because moms waved their voting rights in the faces of legislators who could create new gun safety laws, an evolution in gun laws could be afoot.
“I just hope the passion we all felt while we were there continues on and doesn’t subside. That come November we see real changes,” said Laura LoPresti, a Monroe mother who made the trek with her 11-year-old daughter.
“It was much more than I expected,” Ms. LoPresti said. “I was sitting there with people from Michigan, from Virginia. Everybody shared, and talked, and was open and warm. It was very emotional.”
Suzanne Esterman, a Kendall Park mom who traveled to D.C. with her two elementary school-age sons and with her husband, said the day was exciting.
“I’ve never seen anything like what happened down there,” she said.
“To be able to support this cause was inspiring.”
And while the day itself proved an immeasurable point, she said, whether or not that point has lasting value has yet to be seen.
“Whether or not people will vote, and encourage others to vote, on the basis of the this issue will be the determining factor I think,” Ms. Esterman said.
“But for one day, everyone there was connecting. It was really touching, and not in a sappy kind of way,” she said.
Also traveling on the bus was state Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein, who brought along her adult son.
“At the absolute minimum, I hope people will cast votes for those officials who will pass the legislation that this march is working for,” said Ms. Greenstein, a Democrat whose 14th District includes South Brunswick, Cranbury, Jamesburg and Monroe.
Ms. Greenstein said she carried a sign that said “Smart Guns Now.”
“This is not a simple issue. It’s not only about the gun itself, but also the enforcement of laws, the sentencing for criminals and, importantly, about troubled kids. This march was full of real human stories. It was a reminder that real families have lost their children,” said Ms. Greenstein.
“I was sad and moved and will continue to work toward the passage of legislation I really care a lot about as a mother and a former prosecutor,” she continued.
