A large contingent of students at Los Alamitos High School joined the nationwide protest on March 14, making their voices heard in the wake of the most recent attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
As chants and signs flooded the air, the tune of Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up” played in the background, Los Al students assembled together, along with thousands of other schools in the nation, to stand up for their safety and against gun violence.
Not only were students part of the coalition, but faculty and other members of the community joined the protest. The phrase “The people united, will never be divided” echoed across campus and Cerritos Street, with cars honking in support. The air was thick with enthusiasm and revolution on Los Alamitos High School’s campus and surrounding areas, and this was not even the summit for the movement.
Throughout the campus, memorials and tributes were made to the victims of Parkland, Florida, and other gun related incidents, like Sandy Hook and Columbine. Three sets of 17 desks, for the Parkland students, were arranged at the front of the school, the front of the PAC, and the front of the gym with a flower and a photo for all the victims.
Interwoven between hallways, stairwells, and lockers were the photos and names of the victims of Columbine and Sandy Hook tragedies. In addition, speckled across classrooms and campus, one could see the vibrant orange Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) shirts in protest, ranging from students of all backgrounds, from athletes, ASB, fine arts, academic leaders, to even faculty members joining the movement. It was only moments away until the grand event of the national walkout occurred as the bells rung to end second period.
Students and faculty flooded the center of campus at the front of the PAC, as Zaccary Bradt, senior student-leader of SAVE, conducted the entire event. From a support poster to a voter pre-registration on an iPad, students were making their voices heard. SAVE students in their orange shirts sat in the desk memorial to represent the lives taken, while many other students held a sit-in adjacent to them on the ground for the entire 17 minutes.
The walkout was concluded with a 17 second moment of silence, solidarity for the fallen students and teachers at Parkland, Florida. Bradt said that the “turnout was larger than expected,” and that [he] was “pleasantly surprised.” The student spokesman said he hopes this moment, not only in Los Al, but nationally, carries on for many months to create reforms.
The national walkout gave students a platform to allow their voices to be heard, from California, all the way to the nation’s capital, with plenty of media coverage from the New York Times to thousands of local newspapers.
“We [Los Alamitos students] are here for [Parkland’s] voices,” echoing the effect of how a prevalent issue can capture the heart of the nation, said Bradt. As of now, two bills are being debated in Congress: one being with tighter enforcement on gun laws (Fix NICS Act) and the other is a bill banning of bump stocks.
Students were told the Fix NICS Act is the one with the better chance of passing; the banning of bump stocks may face opposition from Congressional Republican leaders. Overall, the #ENOUGH National Walkout united the nation closer, especially the younger generations, and brought further, quicker action by the government to recognize the pressing issues involving gun violence. The details of pending legislation is still being sorted out by Congress, yet the walkout established a new era of hope and reform for the entire nation, and for future generations to come.
