Leandro De Niro Rodriguez Foundation joins nationwide Walk for Lives to end the fentanyl crisis
By 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 11th, the Brooklyn Bridge was crowded with families, Walk for Lives t-shirts, and hand-lettered signs with names of loved ones who lost their lives to fentanyl.
The Walk for Lives event is a nationwide day of action organized by United Against Fentanyl, in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Fentanyl Free America initiative. An estimated 9,000 people took part across more than 100 cities and towns nationwide, the largest single day of grassroots fentanyl awareness in U.S. history.
The message was the same everywhere: this crisis has already reached nearly every zip code in America, and the families it has touched are speaking out against it.
Paul Martin, founder of United Against Fentanyl, spoke about the dangers of fentanyl and why this work is crucial. Representatives from the DEA and Phoenix House spoke to why this fight has to be a united one, and to what it means to support families through recovery.
“This is the greatest threat we’ve ever seen in drug law enforcement,” says Frank Tarentino, Associate Chief of Operations for the DEA’s Northeast Region. “We have to meet this moment with a greater sense of urgency. It’s our shared purpose and shared sense of responsibility as a community, unified together, working toward a common goal: saving lives.”
Carlos Mare, Leandro's father, walked on behalf of the LDR Foundation. The foundation makes grants to grassroots organizations supporting young people and families affected by substance use disorder and dangerous drugs.
If you weren't able to join us live, you can still be part of the fight. Consider donating to the LDR Foundation, where your gift will help support efforts focused on treatment, recovery, rehabilitation, prevention, and helping families navigate unimaginable loss with compassion and care.
