Galt, other local students take part in national walkouts
In honor of the 17 people who were killed in February’s tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., high school students across the United States walked out of their classes for 17 minutes on Wednesday to protest gun violence.
Largely planned by students, the protests took place at 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday throughout the country. Many students wore orange shirts or ribbons, the color chosen by the protesters for their movement.
Students used social media websites like Twitter and Instagram to post photos of their rallies and messages about their cause, often with the hashtag #enough. High-school students in Los Angeles, Dearborn, Mich., and elsewhere even recreated the social media hashtag on their football fields.
Although Lodi teens didn’t join in the walkouts, as the district is currently on spring break, many students in San Joaquin and Sacramento counties protested, including Liberty Ranch High School in Galt. Roughly 400 students left their classes at 10 a.m. Wednesday before meeting in the cafeteria, according to Principal Joe Saramago.
“We were very proactive in letting our staff and students know that if they wanted to participate in the national walkout, we’d have the cafeteria open. About 1/2 of our kids went, it was very peaceful and respectful. I said a few words, letting them know that we stand with them, we want safer schools, and everyone went back to class at 10:17 a.m.” Saramago said.
Galt school officials had sent a letter to students’ parents on Monday explaining that administrators had worked to identify places on campuses for students who walked out of class to meet and share their feelings and concerns.
School administrators also worked with the Galt Police Department to ensure the safety of any students who may have decided to walk off campus, the letter said.
Thousands of students at Chavez, Edison, Franklin, Lincoln and Stagg high schools in Stockton also held demonstrations, all organized by students, the Stockton Record reported.
At Edison, organizers wanted to put their demonstration in context — not just to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, but to historical U.S. protests.
“By organizing this action for students by students, we realize how important social movements are,” 18-year-old Celin Corpuz said.
Corpuz, Gloria Alonso and Rogelio Vivero, both 17, worked with dozens of their fellow students to stage the demonstration, developing a program that clearly shared their message. The program included student speakers along with representatives from Cleveland School Remembers, an anti-violence group that formed after the 1989 school shooting in Stockton that left five children dead.
“Cleveland Elementary was one of the first schools where a mass shooting happened, and a lot of my family here and friends feel like we should take part in this movement because it happened to us,” Vivero told the Record.
Cleveland School Remembers also sent representatives to the moment of silence and gathering at Franklin High. At Lincoln, students met outside the football stadium for 17 minutes in a gathering school administrators called respectful and instructive.
In Elk Grove, students planned activities from art projects to a march around their campuses, with parent permission, the Elk Grove Unified School District told Fox40. Students had the option of staying in class to work, observing a moment of silence at their desks, or leaving class for a brief activity.
In some cases, student were joined by local political leaders. In Sacramento, Mayor Darrell Steinberg joined Hiram Johnson High School students marching, while state Attorney General Xavier Becerra and State Senate leader Kevin de León visited C.K. McClatchy High School, the Sacramento Bee reported.
In Washington, D.C., Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders met with students. New York Mayor Andrew Cuomo joined students in that city for a “diein.”
In a few schools, students spoke up in favor of the Second Amendment.
Some districts worked with student organizers to keep protests on campus grounds and provide safe opportunities for the students’ voices to be heard. Others threatened disciplinary action for any students participating in the walkouts.
At Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of the Feb. 14 shooting that spurred Wednesday’s protests, the school allowed the walkout. However, several students told the New York Times that they were warned they would not be allowed back on campus if they participated.
A couple of students walked out anyway, the Times reported, gathering at a nearby park for a demonstration. An email from the school soon told students they would be allowed to return to class after their demonstration, the Times said.