New Delco United Co-Chairs

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Dear Delco United Members Supporters,

Allow us to introduce ourselves! We are Jessica Frankl and John Linder, the new co-chairs of Delaware County United for Sensible Gun Policy.

We, like many of you, have been heavily impacted by the fervent and ceaseless work of Terry Rumsey and Robin Lasersohn, who have been the co-chairs of Delco United for the past 5 years. The effort they have put into founding, building, and growing this organization is invaluable, and we, like all of you, have found it hard to picture Delco United without their leadership. Their example and expertise has allowed our organization to grow so much bigger than we could have ever dreamed. And it has taught us that each and every one of us has an important and essential role to play in the fight against gun violence.

While we will greatly miss Terry and Robin as leaders, we not only owe it to

them to keep on fighting, we owe it to our entire community. We have made unimaginable strides in the past 5 years, but know in our hearts that we cannot give up until our family and friends are safe from the threat of gun violence. As your new co-chairs, we promise to keep Delco United in the forefront of this battle, and will do all that we can to help make your voices heard. At the end of the day, your participation is what makes Delco United as strong and as powerful as it has been in getting our message to those who need to hear it most.

From Jessica: I joined Delco United in 2016, have been a member of the board for the past year, and have acted as the outreach coordinator for the past 6 months. I am passionate about growing support for our cause, and taking the next step towards change in our current gun laws.

From John: I am the former Mayor of the city of Chester, and have been a member of Delco United since its inception in 2013. In addition, I have been active since 2010 in common sense gun legislation initiatives with CeasefirePA, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and and Cities United. I am excited and proud to share the co-chairship with Jessica, and am looking forward to continuing this amazing work with all of you.

While we will never fill Terry and Robin’s shoes, we promise to keep marching Delco United forward with everything we have to give. But we will need your help, your voices, and your passion. Will you march with us?

With gratitude,

Jess and John

Leadership Transition at Delco United

Delco United Co-Founders, Robin Lasersohn & Terry Rumsey

Delco United Members and Supporters,

Five years ago, we were a part of a small group of intrepid individuals who came together in June of 2013 and founded Delaware County United for Sensible Gun Policy. Since we were the ones who had organized the meeting, our colleagues asked us to be the Co-Chairs and we accepted.

Five years later, the seedling has grown into a tall and sturdy tree, with deep roots and many branches in our community.

Delco United, as we nicknamed our group early on, now has a solid Board of Directors, a healthy bank account for an all-volunteer group, over 2,000 members across Delaware County, and a history of successful electoral, legislative, and public policy action.

So, it’s one of the hardest things we’ve ever done to announce to you that we are stepping down as the Co-Chairs of Delco United.

The easiest thing to explain about our decision is that Terry has a new job as executive director of Witness to Innocence and Robin is assuming the lead role in running Green Seeds, our grant writing business. But this is not just about our new jobs and business responsibilities. It’s about our belief that social justice organizations need a dose of alternate perspectives, fresh ideas, and new leadership at some point to grow beyond their founders and evolve into authentic community-based organizations. Five years is that milestone for Delco United.

That’s why we’re so excited to announce that Jessica Frankl and John Linderare the new Co-Chairs of Delco United.

  
Jessica is a young, dynamic organizer with boundless energy, and John, the former Mayor of Chester, brings experience and earned respect to their shared leadership. We know they will be a great team. You will be hearing from them directly in the very near future. We ask that you immediately get behind them for the next round in a hard, tough fight to take our state and federal governments back from the grip of the NRA.

OK. It’s time for us the exit this stage. We’ll let others judge the strengths and weaknesses of the job we performed these past five years. We, however, want you to know that we are awed by the commitment, creativity, determination, passion, and resilience that so many of you exhibited as we built Delco United together.

Delco United is your organization. Do it!

Terry and Robin

Two busloads from Delco join hundreds at State Capitol

An estimated 700 gun sense advocates from across Pennsylvania jammed the rotunda of the Capitol in Harrisburg yesterday for the “Demand a Vote” Rally. Those gathered called on the leadership of the Pennsylvania legislature to facilitate a vote on a package of gun sense bills on the floors of the PA House and Senate. Now.

Terry Rumsey, Co-Chair of Delco United, kicked off the Rally by leading the overflow crowd in a series of chants that threatened to blow the roof off of the historic Capitol building.

“VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!” bellowed the spirited throng in a deafening demand for action that sent an unmistakable message to the leaders of the Pennsylvania Legislature:

The vast majority of the people of the Commonwealth are tired of common sense gun bills being locked up in a vault in the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, where good gun safety bills are sent to die.

A busload from Chester and a busload from Media departed Delaware County yesterday in the early morning dawn and returned home by early evening with the Delco United riders imbued with a new sense of hope and determination that we can take back our State government from the NRA.

Delaware County State Representatives Brian Kirkland (D-159), Leanne Krueger-Braneky (D-161) and Jamie Santora (R-163) joined the rally as an expression of support for an immediate vote on bills for universal background checks on gun sales and other common sense gun legislation.
Check out news coverage of the ‘Demand a Vote’ Rally and some more photos:

Penn Live

Pittsburgh TribLive