STANTON, Calif. — Mayor David Shawver said he felt like he needed to do something.

As a longtime patron of Irrawaddy Taste of Burma, Orange County's only Burmese restaurant in Stanton, Shawver became friends with the owner, Banny Hong. Shawver learned about the history of Burma — now known as Myanmar — and interacted with the Burmese community members who also dined at the restaurant.

So when Hong spoke to Shawver and told him about the military coup that happened in the country, Shawver wanted to step up and help.

"When this all went down on February 1 Banny came in and explained what was going on, and it was very sad," Shawver told Spectrum News. 1 "He asked me to help him to get the word out so people can understand what's happening in Myanmar. People are dying on the streets."

On Saturday, Stanton is hosting a Myanmar Democracy Awareness Rally. The rally will occur from noon to 2:30 p.m. at the Stanton City Hall at 7800 Stanton Ave. in Stanton.

The rally comes a month and a half after the Myanmar military seized control of the Southeast Asian country in a military coup on February 1. The military detained the democratic leaders in the country and brutally cracked down on the demonstrators protesting the junta.

According to Reuters, military forces have killed more than 183 people since the coup and detained thousands of protesters and journalists.

There are more than 850 Burmese residents in Orange County, according to Asian Americans Advancing Justice, citing the 2010 Census.

Shawver doesn't know how many people will attend the rally. The most important thing, Shawver said, is to create awareness about the situation.

"We need to let people in Orange County and across California to know what's going on," he said. "We need to be aware of it and condemn what they are doing there."