Tomorrow thousands to Take Streets Nationwide in Walk for Lives as Survivors Lead Grassroots Response to Fentanyl Crisis

United Against Fentanyl Mobilizes Communities Across America in Unprecedented Show of Unity

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, September 19, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Thousands will take to the streets in cities and towns across America this weekend for United Against Fentanyl's inaugural Walk for Lives. This grassroots response to the fentanyl crisis will see each walk led by a bereaved mother, sibling, father, or grandparent who has lost a loved one to this epidemic.

The synchronized walks represent an unprecedented mobilization of citizens demanding change. Every day, more than 200 Americans die from fentanyl poisoning or overdoses.

"This crisis demands we face hard truths," said Paul Martin, founder of United Against Fentanyl. "A teenager who takes what they think is a prescription pill shouldn't die. A college student experimenting once shouldn't die. A person struggling with addiction deserves treatment, not a death sentence."

Participants will not only walk in unity. At each location, bereaved parents will lead participants through declaring aloud the United Against Fentanyl Manifesto. The declaration calls on citizens to stop stigmatizing substance use disorder. It demands parents stop thinking fentanyl can't kill their children. It challenges dealers to stop dealing death. It confronts Mexican cartels manufacturing poison. It calls on China's leaders to stop driving the fentanyl trade.

"History teaches us that we have the power to change social injustices," Martin said. "This starts when ordinary people refuse to accept what is unacceptable, and when they unify around a call for change. Those who founded this nation didn't merely crave freedom—they created it through organized action and resolve. Mothers Against Drunk Driving didn't merely oppose drunk driving—they drove change by mobilizing communities nationwide."

The walks will take place in approximately 100 cities and towns. From Burlington to San Diego. From Seattle to Fort Lauderdale. From major metropolitan areas to communities of just a few thousand.

Walk for Lives organizers are working with elected officials at every level. City councils are issuing support proclamations. State legislators are attending district walks. Federal representatives are joining constituents on the streets. The Drug Enforcement Administration has pledged increased coordination, recognizing that community organizing amplifies law enforcement impact. This partnership represents a new model where those closest to the crisis drive solutions.

The flagship Walk for Lives event will be held in downtown San Francisco near the Tenderloin district that afternoon. The walk will be live streamed on YouTube at 2 PM PST, allowing people nationwide to witness this historic moment of unity and determination.

“Community organizing created the civil rights movement. It built the labor movement. It ended drunk driving as an accepted risk. Now it will end the fentanyl crisis,” Martin said.

For more information about Walk for Lives locations and times, visit www.unitedagainstfentanyl.org.

Media Contact: Jacob Lignell (jl3359@georgetown.edu)

About United Against Fentanyl: United Against Fentanyl is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that interrupts the use of illicit fentanyl through innovative, bold, and effective initiatives. Its leadership includes experts from foreign policy, law enforcement, public health, medicine, social media, investigative journalism, business, and entertainment. Its mission is to"to reduce the use of illicit fentanyl through innovative, bold, and effective initiatives.

Jacob Lignell
United Against Fentanyl
+1 2692816880
jl3359@georgetown.edu
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
TikTok
X

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.