Fall Out Boy Pledge $100K to Gun Safety After Highland Park Mass Shooting: ‘We Are Heartbroken’
Chicago rockers Fall Out Boy took to social media on Friday (July 8) to pledge a $100,000 donation to Everytown for Gun Safety following the mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in neighboring Highland Park, Illinois.
“Chicago is where we grew up, and we are heartbroken for the families and entire community of Highland Park, as well as every single victim of wanton gun violence in America,” begins their message, which the band posted to Instagram and Twitter. “We will be donating $100,000 through The Fall Out Boy Fund to @Everytown for Gun Safety to help their continued efforts toward ending gun violence.”
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The band — Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz, Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley — announced The Fall Out Boy Fund in September 2017 “as a way for us to give back to Chicago, the city that has given so much to us,” they wrote in the announcement.
In 2018, Fall Out Boy headlined the Stay Amped concert in Washington, D.C., the day before the March for Our Lives, with a portion of proceeds benefiting Everytown.
Monday’s tragic shooting began 15 minutes after the Highland Park Independence Day parade kicked off, killing seven and injuring nearly 50 others.
On Wednesday, Chicago’s Ravinia Festival canceled or postponed seven shows in the wake of the mass shooting. “In light of Monday’s tragedy, and out of deep respect for our community, Ravinia announces the cancellation or postponement of all concerts and events through Sunday, July 10,” the organization based in Highland Park wrote in a statement.
See Fall Out Boy’s full message below: