Route 91 shooting memorial license plate available Tuesday
Nevadans have a new way to raise funds for those affected by the Route 91 Harvest festival shooting while displaying pride in the community that rallied after the tragedy.
The “Forever Strong” specialty Nevada license plate is being released Tuesday, two years after 58 people were killed and over 800 injured at the country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip.
The plate features a black-and-gold “Vegas Strong” heart logo on a gold gradient background with “Forever Strong” centered at the bottom of the plate.
This is part of an ongoing series observing the two-year anniversary of the Oct. 1, 2017, shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. See all of our coverage here.
The plate will raise funds for the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center, which continues to assist victims, with $25 from each initial registration and $20 from each renewal going to the center.
Assembly Bill 333, the bill that created the plate, states that the license plate commemorates the strength, solidarity and resilience of Las Vegas following the shooting.
“Our residents can be proud of the strength we showed as a community in response to 1 October and the support we continue to offer victims of the incident through the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center,” Clark County Commission Chairman Marilyn Kirkpatrick said.
The fees collected will be deposited in the state’s general fund and distributed to the resiliency center quarterly. The center provides resources and referrals for residents, visitors and responders affected by the shooting.
Nick Robone, assistant UNLV hockey coach, was shot in the shoulder, leading to weeks spent in the hospital recovering.
“It’s not something our city is ever going to forget, so I think it’s important to remember those 58 people and this would be another way to do that,” Robone said this year when the plate was up for approval in the Legislature. “The money is going to a great cause, so I don’t see it as any kind of disrespect, but moreso a tribute to the people who didn’t make it.”
Since opening in October 2017, the resiliency center has served more than 10,000 people. It encourages anyone affected by the shooting to reach out for support.
“Drivers with this license plate send a clear message that they are strong, compassionate and unwavering in their memory of the lives lost,” said Tennille Pereira, director of the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center, in a statement.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.