WASHINGTON- Stepping out of a packed train car at the Metro Center transit hub, cheers could be heard from the crowd up on the street. Above on Pennsylvania Avenue from 12th to Third street, thousands gathered for the March For Our Lives, organized by students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Protesters held signs high above the crowd to send their message. Photo: Ryan Corbett
Students, teachers, parents and their children took to the streets to rally for gun legislation in the wake of a mass shooting in Parkland where 17 students and teachers were killed in February. With the Capitol’s rotunda clear as day down the east end of Pennsylvania Avenue, the message was clearly aimed toward the congressmen and women who hold office, as well as those running for re-election this fall.
Students from Parkland, like David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez, spoke to the crowd of more than 200,000 on a large stage at Third street telling their stories of the shooting, as well as calling for stricter background checks and an assault-style weapons ban.
In the crowd, signs with messages to lawmakers and the NRA were commonplace. Many young students who were in attendance held signs reading ‘Am I Next?’ as Madeline Johanson, 17 of New Jersey did. “I go to school everyday not knowing whether I am going to come home alive,” she said as she held her sign high above the crowd.
Protesters rest on barriers as the march came to an end. Photo: Ryan Corbett
Students and teachers were the main demographic of the event, making a stand on mass school shootings. One teacher, Joanne Foster, 56, of Maryland, held a sign above her head reading “I should be doing lesson plans, not lockdown drills.” About the sign she said, “Our schools are trying to prepare us for something they think we can’t prevent, but we’re here in D.C to tell lawmakers we can prevent this with legislation.”
With so many young people showing up in force to the nationals capital, the parallels to the 60’s Vietnam, Richard Nixon, and civil rights movements were clear. “I think this is going to be driven by our youth, in the ‘60s, those protests were youth driven,” says Eryn Lowery, 34, of New York. “Today kids have the Internet and know how to manipulate everything for the greater good. They know how to use social media better than the president.”
Signs were left in front of the White House after the march concluded. Photo: Ryan Corbett
Like the protesters calling for stricter gun laws, a Gallup poll shows that now 60 percent of Americans are in favor of stricter gun control, a high not seen since 2004. The gun issue has been one to polarize both sides of the political spectrum and has pitted liberals against conservatives. A group of counter-protesters gathered with their “Don’t Tread on Me” Gadsden flags at the March to oppose the marche’s message of stricter gun laws.
“As a conservative I feel alienated at these events, but it’s a good way to get the message across,” said Duncan Crim, 19, of Pennsylvania. “I think guns should not be regulated by the government. I think it’s up to individuals to regulate their own firearms.”
It was hard to miss volunteers in bright green and orange shirts with signs asking people to register to vote, “It only takes a minute to register!” The 2018 midterm elections are quickly approaching, and with public opinion swaying, and nationwide movements from new young voters gaining traction, the race is about to get interesting.