Students head down Colesville Road for a march on Washginton.
Several hundred Montgomery Blair High School students joined others from the area yesterday to march on Washington to demand new gun controls in the aftermath of the high school killings last week in Parkland, Fla.
The students began gathering at 9:30 a.m. and walked down Colesville Road accompanied by a police escort to the Silver Spring Metro.
From Union Station, the marchers went to the Capitol to link up with other students from the region, meeting with U. S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-8th District) before heading, via the National Mall, to the White House for a moment of silence and a demonstration.
“We all owe a debt of gratitude to the brave students in Parkland, Fla., and everywhere who are speaking out and demanding an end to gun violence,” Raskin told the group, according to his communications director.
“The walkout was for gun control and making sure that gun control happens, because people are dying from school shootings,” said MBHS student Ben Butler.
“I decided to participate to bring attention and show that so many people’s lives are getting taken by something that could be enforced and taken care of,” he continued. “You don’t need an assault rifle for personal protection or something like that.”
“I went because I think that it’s really important that we discussed it like adults and stop it and get gun control laws,” added Lily Creekmore, another MBHS student. “I hope to see congressmen and people in power see that there’s so many of us and that we have more of an impact than they thought, and that we really can destroy their reputation if they don’t do something about the fact that we marched on Washington.”
Students from other county schools including Northwood, Richard Montgomery, Wooton, Walter Johnson and others also participated in the walkout.
Editor’s Note: The Source is grateful to MBHS students Elise and Audrey Haverland for providing the quotes and photos that are a part of this article.
Students gather near the Capitol before heading to the White House.