Dan Diener stood alone at the back of Miller Park Sunday evening in a University of Dayton Flyers visor covering his long, gray hair.
The ex-Marine hadn’t been to a protest or demonstration demanding action since Richard Nixon held his presidential inauguration in January of 1973, but he figured this was the right time.
A week ago, a gunman killed nine people and injured 27 others in a historic entertainment district Diener used to frequent before moving from the Birthplace of Aviation to the Volunteer State in 1986. It was the second mass shooting in less than 24 hours. That Saturday, a gunman targeted shoppers at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart. The shooter targeted Mexicans during the violent anti-immigrant demonstration that left 22 people dead and 24 others injured.
“I just wanted to see how people were reacting,” Diener said. “It’s good to see some people out here, such a big group showing their support.”
(Authorities seek leads in mass shootings that left 31 dead)