{"id":12202,"date":"2018-03-17T10:04:21","date_gmt":"2018-03-17T14:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=12202"},"modified":"2019-10-10T07:24:34","modified_gmt":"2019-10-10T11:24:34","slug":"usa-enough-a-million-students-walk-out-of-schools-to-demand-action-on-guns-in-historic-day-of-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=12202","title":{"rendered":"USA: Enough! A Million Students Walk Out of Schools to Demand Action on Guns in Historic Day of Action"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .<\/p>\n

An article from Democracy Now<\/a> (reprinted according to terms of Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License)<\/p>\n

In a historic day of action, more than a million students from over 3,000 schools walked out of classes to protest gun violence on Wednesday [March 14]. Walkouts occurred in all 50 states as well as some schools overseas. The nationwide student walkouts occurred one month after 17 students and staff were shot dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. At many schools, students walked out for 17 minutes\u2014one minute for each person murdered in Parkland. The students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are now organizing a massive March for Our Lives on March 24 in Washington, and solidarity marches are planned across the country. We air moments from marches in New York and talk with Luna Baez and Citlali Mares, two students in Denver, Colorado, who helped organize their school\u2019s walkout for gun reform Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nVideo on Democracy Now website<\/a><\/a><\/center><\/p>\n

Transcript<\/p>\n

NERMEEN\u00a0SHAIKH:\u00a0In a historic day of action, more than a million students from over 3,000 schools walked out of classes to protest gun violence on Wednesday. Walkouts occurred in all 50 states, as well as some schools overseas. This was the scene outside one school here in New York City.<\/p>\n

PROTESTERS:\u00a0No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence!<\/p>\n

CHELSEA:\u00a0My name is Chelsea. I go to the High School of Fashion Industries. And today we\u2019re here to protest against what happened at Parkland. We\u2019re here to stop gun violence in schools and everywhere.<\/p>\n

PROTESTERS:\u00a0I\u2019m a student, not a target! I\u2019m a student, not a target! I\u2019m a student, not a target! I\u2019m a student, not a target!<\/p>\n

LAURA\u00a0RICHMOND:\u00a0My name is Laura Richmond. I go to High School of Fashion Industries. And we\u2019re here protesting gun violence all across America. Guns don\u2019t solve problems, they create problems. And obviously, as you can see, we all feel strongly about this. This is something that\u2019s been going on for far too long. And if people\u2014if adults aren\u2019t going to take action, we need to take action.<\/p>\n

PROTESTERS:\u00a0No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence!<\/p>\n

KAYLA\u00a0CONCEPCION:\u00a0My name is Kayla Concepcion. I go to the High School of Fashion Industries. We are protesting to disarm the\u00a0NRA\u00a0and the mass school shootings that has happened across the country. It has to end now. And it starts with every school protesting. And we are here today to stop this shooting! Today! Every school should walk out right now and go and protest!<\/p>\n

PROTESTERS:\u00a0Disarm the\u00a0NRA! Disarm the\u00a0NRA! Disarm the\u00a0NRA! Disarm the\u00a0NRA! Disarm the\u00a0NRA!<\/p>\n

AMY\u00a0GOODMAN:\u00a0The nationwide student walkouts occurred one month after 17 students and faculty were shot dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. At many schools, students walked out for 17 minutes\u2014one minute for each person murdered in Parkland. The students at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School are now organizing a massive March for Our Lives on March 24th in Washington, D.C.\u00a0Democracy Now!\u00a0will be there, broadcasting live the entire march. Solidarity marches are planned for across the country. In Brooklyn, New York, a walkout occurred at Edward R. Murrow High School.<\/p>\n

ANASTASIA\u00a0BEIRNE-MEYER:\u00a0We are standing here today, halting our education to show that we will not be living in fear of a school shooter. We will not be next. We will not sit in our classrooms wondering why Congress is not working as hard as we are. We will not overlook the fact that it is the students\u2019 responsibility to speak out against the dangers of guns. And I\u2019m not just talking about mass shootings. I\u2019m talking about the militarization of our law enforcement and the normalization of these weapons in our communities. We will not let our future be dictated by the millions of dollars from the National Rifle Association that prevent stronger gun laws.<\/p>\n

AMY\u00a0GOODMAN:\u00a0We begin today\u2019s show in Denver, Colorado, where we\u2019re joined by two organizers of a student walkout at Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy in Denver, Colorado. We\u2019re joined by Lali Mares and Luna Baez. Luna is the daughter of the undocumented activist Jeanette Vizguerra, who\u2019s one of the founders of the Metro Denver Sanctuary Coalition. Jeanette Vizguerra took refuge, sanctuary, in Denver, but now is now out, because there is a private bill that protects her.
\nLuna Baez and Lali Mares, we welcome you both to\u00a0Democracy Now!\u00a0Luna, let\u2019s begin with you. Talk about what happened yesterday at your middle school.<\/p>\n

LUNA\u00a0BAEZ:\u00a0What happened yesterday at our middle school was we walked out in support of better gun laws and for the 17 that fell during the Parkland school shooting.<\/p>\n

NERMEEN\u00a0SHAIKH:\u00a0You talk about what kind of response you and Luna received when you started to organize this protest. What did teachers and students at your school say to you?<\/p>\n

CITLALI\u00a0MARES:\u00a0Some of our teachers were very hesitant about the walkout. A lot of them supported us, but we knew that there are some that weren\u2019t going to be able to help us to the maximum we needed. And then the students felt like it was very important, and it was important for them to walk out with us, because they knew that it affected them in a very big way.<\/p>\n

NERMEEN\u00a0SHAIKH:\u00a0And what about your school principal and other school administrators?<\/p>\n

CITLALI\u00a0MARES:\u00a0We didn\u2019t hear much about our principal. Our vice principal was out there while we were walking out. So, it was good to have that kind of support while we were there.<\/p>\n

AMY\u00a0GOODMAN:\u00a0Luna, can you talk about why you chose to be one of the organizers of this protest? And what grade are you in?<\/p>\n

(Article continued in right column)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Question related to this article:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\nDo you think handguns should be banned?, Why or why not?<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

(continued from left column)<\/p>\n

LUNA\u00a0BAEZ:\u00a0I am in eighth grade. And the reason I chose to be one of the organizers was because from what I know. Me and Lali had a bit more experience than the other children\u2014<\/p>\n

AMY\u00a0GOODMAN:\u00a0In organizing?<\/p>\n

LUNA\u00a0BAEZ:\u00a0\u2014and the other students. Yes.<\/p>\n

AMY\u00a0GOODMAN:\u00a0And would you say that experience comes from organizing around your mom, Jeanette Vizguerra?<\/p>\n

LUNA\u00a0BAEZ:\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n

AMY\u00a0GOODMAN:\u00a0And do you see these issues as linked? Can you talk about your mom just for a few minutes? I visited her in Denver at the Unitarian Church, where she had taken sanctuary, before she was able to come out because she\u2019s protected by a bill that was passed in Congress.<\/p>\n

LUNA\u00a0BAEZ:\u00a0So, I would say it would be linked, because my experience with media and all things related to that are from my mom\u2019s process.<\/p>\n

AMY\u00a0GOODMAN:\u00a0And, Lali, why did you choose to help organize this student walkout? And what demands are you making of President Trump, of Congress, of the\u00a0NRA?<\/p>\n

CITLALI\u00a0MARES:\u00a0I chose to organize, to help organize the walkout because I knew that this wouldn\u2019t just affect us as a school, it would affect everyone in the United States and out of the United States, because this is something that\u2019s bigger. And with a bigger group of students, it can allow us to create a bigger impact.<\/p>\n

And I would just want the president to pass something that says that we can\u2014we have better laws about guns, not necessarily taking away the guns, but nobody needs that type of weapon in their house, where somebody who doesn\u2019t need that has it in their hands and something like Parkland can happen.<\/p>\n

NERMEEN\u00a0SHAIKH:\u00a0And, Lali, how many students participated from your school in the walkout? Were you surprised by how many did or how many didn\u2019t?<\/p>\n

CITLALI\u00a0MARES:\u00a0Yes, we expected maybe 20, 25, 30. We didn\u2019t expect that big of a group, and we thought it would just be eighth graders walking out with us. As Luna and I were walking the halls, we noticed that high schoolers were joining some of the sixth and seventh graders. So, I would say about 70, 80. It wasn\u2019t a big a\u2014like a big size, but it was large for us as our first walkout.<\/p>\n

AMY\u00a0GOODMAN:\u00a0And, of course, 2,000 Denver-area students also walked out all over, many marching to the state Capitol. I want to thank Luna Baez and Citlali Mares for joining us from Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy in Denver, as we go back to more voices from the nationwide student walkout on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

PROTESTERS:\u00a0No more silence! End gun violence! No more silence! End gun violence!<\/p>\n

AHRIANA\u00a0MERRYWEATHER:\u00a0All these people have come together today so that they can express how they feel about gun violence and all these things and how kids don\u2019t feel safe in their schools, which is the one place we should feel safe, because that\u2019s where we spend most of our time.<\/p>\n

REEM\u00a0ARAJAI:\u00a0I hope that the president will step up, stop accepting money from the\u00a0NRA, because if all of the deaths that have occurred aren\u2019t enough to convince him, then I guess it just has to be us protesting right now.<\/p>\n

SIMONE\u00a0HICKS:\u00a0If you can protect guns this much and don\u2019t have the same regard for the people who are going to create your country in the future, then we\u2019re in trouble. The kids are the future. If you\u2019re not protecting the kids, then what\u2019s left?<\/p>\n

PROTESTERS:\u00a0I call BS! I call BS! I call BS!<\/p>\n

NUPOL\u00a0KIAZOLU:\u00a0My name is Nupol Kiazolu. I\u2019m 17 years old, and I\u2019m president of the Youth Coalition for Black Lives Matter New York. I\u2019m out here also because I lost my father to gun violence, and I lost many family members and friends to gun violence. Gun violence is not a new issue. It affects our communities every single day, and it affects black and Latino communities disproportionately. I came here to give honor to those 17 lives that were lost, because those people were heroes. But we don\u2019t need any more martyrs. We need justice. And that starts here and now.<\/p>\n

PROTESTER\u00a01:\u00a0This is about people\u2014gay, straight, black, white, religious, nonreligious\u2014coming together so their kids don\u2019t have to be afraid to go to school.<\/p>\n

CAROLINA\u00a0THOMAS:\u00a0Hi. My name\u2019s Carolina Thomas, and I\u2019m 12 years old. And I\u2019m here today because I\u2019m sick and tired of hearing that someone has died at school innocently. I am sick and tired of hearing that someone has been killed at school while learning how to read or write. Why are we fighting for something that the adults should be fighting for? Why are we here marching and walking out of school, when the people of Congress should be protecting us?<\/p>\n

PROTESTER\u00a02:\u00a0It makes sense to me that the only problem is the guns. Get rid of the guns, get rid of the violence. We have the most guns than any country on the face of this world. We\u2019re the richest country that\u2019s ever existed on the planet, and we can\u2019t deal with these issues? It doesn\u2019t make any sense.<\/p>\n

PROTESTERS:\u00a0Donald Trump, Mike Pence, gun control is common sense! Donald Trump, Mike Pence, gun control is common sense!<\/p>\n

MARIA\u00a0LOPEZ:\u00a0As students, we\u2019re here uniting our voices to advocate for like more stricter gun laws and for a safer school environment, because that\u2019s why we come here. We come here for an education, and we don\u2019t come here to be worrying, \u201cAm I going to go home or not?\u201d<\/p>\n

JOEY\u00a0ZARATE:\u00a0In order to get our stronger message across, we needed to hold it here, where everyone gets to hear that we are together, we are one, we are with Florida. At the end of the day, we just want our schools to be safe and never be shot up again. That\u2019s why we say, \u201cNever again.\u201d<\/p>\n

PROTESTERS:\u00a0Enough is enough! Enough is enough! Enough is enough!<\/p>\n

PROTESTER\u00a03:\u00a0We grow guns. We place them in the hands of Americans and say, \u201cGo play.\u201d The inevitable senseless violence that follows is succeeded by senseless silence.<\/p>\n

AMY\u00a0GOODMAN:\u00a0Voices from the nationwide student walkout on Wednesday. It\u2019s estimated about a million people walked out, not only in the United States, but calling for gun control all over the world, in solidarity with the students at Parkland.<\/p>\n

This is\u00a0Democracy Now!\u00a0We\u2019ll be in Washington, D.C., on March 24th, covering the March for Our Lives, organizing the student survivors of Parkland, organizing around the Valentine\u2019s Day massacre, calling for comprehensive gun control.<\/p>\n

This is\u00a0Democracy Now!\u00a0When we come back, we go to Alabama to hear about another school shooting, just a few weeks after Parkland, that hasn\u2019t gotten anything like the attention of what happened in Florida. Stay with us.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY . An article from Democracy Now (reprinted according to terms of Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License) In a historic day of action, more than a million students from over 3,000 schools walked out of classes to protest gun violence on Wednesday [March 14]. Walkouts occurred in all 50 … Continue reading USA: Enough! A Million Students Walk Out of Schools to Demand Action on Guns in Historic Day of Action<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,91],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-12202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-disarmament","category-north-america","tag-north-america"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12202\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}