Turning grief into action on Mercer Island | Commentary

Published 8:57 am Monday, June 1, 2026

Being a gun violence survivor strips away any belief that a gun-related tragedy can’t happen to anyone. I was 17 when my 20-year-old brother, Albert, was fatally shot in the head and robbed while on spring break in Fort Lauderdale. I finished my last year of high school in a grief-induced daze. My adolescence ended right then, and my family was forever changed.

It was 1978, and the concept of college spring break in Florida was still somewhat new. Albert and a few good friends had driven down from George Washington University. He and his best friend were both political science majors. From a young age, Albert wanted to make a difference. He volunteered for a member of Congress advocating for civil rights, women’s rights and gun control — causes that aligned with his worldview. Albert was naturally passionate, well-spoken and charismatic, with a magnetic energy that drew people to him.

As my parents’ first child, Albert was the center of their world. He was in my mother’s arms when she, an immigrant from Peru, proudly became a United States citizen — a mother who gave him the gift of speaking both Spanish and English. The semester before he was killed, Al was living fully as an exchange student in Barcelona, Spain, studying, making friends and playing on a rugby team. He was an amazing big brother who always made time to be my confidant, to be a role model for his younger brother, and to write beautiful letters home to his family. He had so much life ahead of him.

The lasting trauma of gun violence extends in ripples far beyond a single family. Last year, Albert’s college best friend — who had been in that Florida hotel room waiting for Albert to return — circuitously found me. I learned for the first time that he had been shown a photograph of Al for identification, watched doctors call his death at the hospital and stood broken alongside us at the funeral. That traumatic loss stayed with him, as it does with me. Ripples.

No parent should ever have to know the unbearable pain of losing a child. No sibling should have to lose a brother or a sister, and no friend should have to lose a classmate to senseless gun violence. Yet, as a survivor, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother and reluctant matriarch, my heart breaks frequently now. The landscape of gun violence has grown devastatingly heavier since 1978, with youth firearm deaths increasing by nearly 70% over just the last decade. What was once an uncommon tragedy for a family has become the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States.

We are not immune on Mercer Island. I have seen the mementos left in Pioneer Park for Dominick and Danielle Cuvillier, senselessly murdered here in late 2025. School-age children endure active shooter drills, and we recently read news of a local resident sentenced for trafficking drugs with an arsenal of guns including semi-automatic weapons found in his Mercer Island home. Statistically, an estimated 63% of gun owners have at least one unlocked firearm at home. Furthermore, 80% of youth firearm suicides involve a family member’s gun, and half of school shooters steal their weapon from home.

In 2026, I became an Everytown Survivor Fellow and I’m proud to be working alongside other gun violence survivors from across the United States who are turning grief into action beginning with our stories. I can think of no better way to honor Albert’s memory.

Everytown for Gun Safety includes Moms Demand Action, the Be SMART secure storage program and a dedicated survivor network that provides crucial support to those personally affected by gun violence. Learn more at: https://www.everytown.org/

On May 19, the Mercer Island City Council unanimously approved a proclamation declaring the first Friday in June as National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Observed this year on June 5, National Gun Violence Awareness Day is an annual event that marks the beginning of Wear Orange Weekend, June 6-7. Wear Orange is dedicated to honoring the lives of survivors of gun violence and demanding a future free from gun violence. This effort takes all of us — from parents and community partners to responsible gun owners who securely store their firearms. Together, we truly can make a difference.

Our local Moms Demand Action/Everytown for Gun Safety group will host a table at the Mercer Island Farmers Market from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 7. We will be wearing orange, sharing ways to get involved and offering fun giveaways for children. Thanks to the Mercer Island police, we will also be providing free gun locks for secure storage.

My call to action is simple:

● Store firearms securely: If you own a gun, keep it locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition. Learn more at kingcounty.gov/lockitup

● Start the conversation: Talk to your children and their friends’ parents about secure gun storage. Learn more at https://besmartforkids.org/

● Say Something: If you know about a potential gun violence act, report it.

● Show up: Visit our Wear Orange booth at the farmers market on June 7 to pick up a free gun lock, connect with local advocates and consider getting involved.

Let’s honor those we’ve lost — not just with words, but with action. Wear orange, take a stand and help keep Mercer Island safe.

Sandy (Brown) Glass

Mercer Island resident since 1998