WTMC students take part in nationwide action on gun violence

Contributor

On Feb. 14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz entered Stoneman Douglas High School and killed 17 people within 6 minutes.

ALYSSA ALHADEFF, 14

SCOTT BEIGEL, 35

NICHOLAS DWORET, 17

AARON FEIS, 37

JAIME GUTTENBER, 14

CHRIS HIXON, 49

LUKEY HOYER, 15

CARA LOUGHRAN, 14

GINA MONTALTO, 14

JOAQUIN OLIVER, 17

ALAINA PETTY, 14

MEADOW POLLACK, 18

HELENA RAMSAY, 17

ALEX SCHACHTER, 14

CARMEN SCHENTRP, 16

PETER WANG, 15

MARTIN DUQUE, 14

In the following days, teens and parents across the nation expressed their anger and frustration with what they believe as the U.S.’s inadequate gun policies. The survivors, and students all over the U.S., demanded action.

“We are done with ‘thoughts and prayers’ from complacent politicians,” said Clara Nunez-Regueiro, a speaker at the rally of Washtenaw County students on March 14.

Those students joined the estimated 1 million others across the country in walking out of class on the one-month anniversary of the Florida shootings. Dozens of Washtenaw Technical Middle College students  chose to leave their classes on the WCC campus at 10 a.m. and gathered around the sculpture outside the Student Center. The demonstration lasted 17 minutes—a minute each of the Florida victims. Some of the students then traveled to Riverside Park in Ypsilanti, where the rally was held.

The walkouts were partly organized by Women’s March younger branch EMPOWER.  In Washtenaw County, Washtenaw Youth Initiative organized the Walkouts and Rally that followed.

The students demanded:

•Increasing the minimum age to purchase a gun from 18 to 21

•Banning so-called bump stocks

•Banning guns from schools without exception

•Requiring intensive background checks and safety class/certification before purchase

•Banning the sale of assault weapons or high-capacity ammunition guns to general public

•Requiring implicit bias training and psychological certification for police officers before they can carry guns.

Throughout Washtenaw County 6,000-8,000 students walked out of their classes using the power of their numbers to make a statement. In Ann Arbor 3,200 students walked out, 1,200 from Skyline alone. The hour-long rally at Riverside Park had approximately 1,000 students from across Washtenaw County

During the rally, students and a member of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America spoke. The speeches ranged from emotional to factual, and spanned across all aspects of the topic. There were also spoken-word poems.

When Tanaya Harrison took stage, she emphasized the impact of  ongoing fear. “I’m tired of being afraid that I am going to die in school or that my friends are going to die.” She then told a story of how a friend from South Lyon was afraid to attend school the day after a school shooting threat. For many in the audience this struck a chord, many have stories so similar, as was proven through the applause that rung out, and many of the speakers recounting similar experiences.

Rally speaker Ajia Turner reminded those at the rally that gun violence affects everyone differently. The lives of minorities are affected even more, in and out of school.

Students recounted the first time they heard of Sandy Hook.

Speakers recited facts, and the speeches reminded students that they are the future, they are the ones who will vote in the next elections.

Student speakers reminded politicians that if they don’t stop taking donations from NRA and don’t change gun laws, then they will vote them out of office. There was a voter registration station at the rally.

“We are not an oligarchy, we are a democracy. The students are citizens and citizens are the backbone of democracy,” said Zaynab Elkolaly, a student at WTMC and one of the speakers at the rally. “ If the citizens aren’t happy, the government should be very, very afraid. We’re brainwashed to believe that we are but a small minority, that our voices mean nothing. But in the future we will be the ones deciding policy. We mean everything.”

At one point Max McNally came to stage with a metaphorical cigarette. “It doesn’t matter if I die smoking cigarettes,” he said, “because if I go to school and get shot I am already dead.” The audience erupted in applause.

“Kids are going to school and people tell them they’re going to kill you, they’re going to shoot you up. How many of us can learn in that scenario,” McNally asked. “None of us, none of us can and none of us will.”

Following the March 24 “March For Our Lives” in Washington, students will walkout once more  on April 20, in memory of the Columbine, Colo. school shooting.

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