By KRISSI HUMBARD — “This cannot keep happening.”
That sentiment echoed across the city as students in Hyattsville joined millions in the nation in a school walkout to protest gun violence on March 14.
Students at Northwestern High School, Chelsea School and Hyattsville Middle School walked out of their schools, . The protest started at 10 a.m. and lasted 17 minutes, to mark the 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 14 by a former student armed with an AR-15 assault-style rifle. Fourteen of those killed were high school students.
Students held signs calling for changes to gun laws and an end to gun violence. At Northwestern, hundreds gathered and chanted “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! All the guns have got to go!” and “No change, no school!”
A student who spoke over a speaker to her fellow students said, “This is not the end. This is not going to stop here.” She went on to encourage her fellow students to use their voice and call on their members of Congress to enact changes to gun laws. She went on to say, “this is something we can change right now, because this cannot keep happening.”
In a statement, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) said it “supports students in the exercise of meaningful freedom of speech, assembly, press and religion and will support National School Walkout activities in schools.”
The mass shooting in Florida has sparked a demand for action, led mainly by students. “March for Our Lives,” was created by, inspired by, and led by students across the country after the Parkland, Fla., shooting. A student-led march to end gun violence in the country is planned for March 24 in Washington, D.C.
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Hyattsville Life & Times was not allowed to interview any students during the protest, and attempts to reach out to students for comment were unsuccessful.
