Family members will mark the tragic disappearance and death of autistic teen Avonte Oquendo next month with a March for Safety in Queens, organizers said Tuesday.
The march, scheduled for Oct. 10, will kick off at Hunter’s Point South Park in Long Island City to coincide with the second anniversary of the autistic teen’s disappearance from a city public school.
Avonte disappeared Oct. 4, 2013, after the unsupervised adolescent ran out a side door of the Riverview School in Queens. He was never seen alive again.
After an exhaustive three-month search that involved hundreds of volunteers, the teen’s remains were found on the rocky banks of the East River on Jan. 16, 2014.
His death appeared to be a tragic accident.
Avonte’s death inspired two pieces of legislation.
The U.S. Committee on the Judiciary is currently mulling over a federal Avonte’s Law, which will free up $10 million for tracking devices so local police can monitor to families of children with autism or other disorders in which “bolting” from parents or teachers is common.
Mayor de Blasio also signed Avonte’s Law in August 2014, which would require the Department of Education to review all of their school buildings to see if audible alarms are needed.
As a result, more than 2,000 alarms will be placed in schools across the city, officials said.
Oquendo family attorney David Perecman said events like the March for Safety will ensure that the city makes good on its promises.
“We need to keep the pressure on the city so they equip these schools and finish the job of improving the system,” said Perecman, who is currently suing the city for $25 million for failing to monitor Avonte on school grounds. “It’s a failing on our society and its institutions if we can’t protect children like Avonte.”
