Roughly 300 high school and middle school students from across Portland showed up at Portland City Hall this morning, calling on lawmakers to enact stricter gun control laws across the country. The student walkout—which took place in cities across the country today—coincides with the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. It’s the second major protest organized by Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students since a gunman killed 17 of their classmates on February 14.
Despite warnings from Portland Public Schools that students will received an unexcused absence if they leave campus today (and that Portland Police won’t protect them), hundreds of students joined in today’s walkout.
We followed the students as they trekked through downtown—beginning at city hall and ending at Pioneer Courthouse Square—to hear why they decided to skip class today and what kind of changes they’d like to see at the state legislature.
Students from Lincoln high school arriving on the scene. #ColumbineHighSchoolProtest pic.twitter.com/HrUeBos13R
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
Signs at the #NationalSchoolWalkout in Portland. pic.twitter.com/5XuhIhzQPW
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
“Against gun violence and shootings in schools and misuse of automatic weapons. Change the gun age to 21 from 18 and outlawing all automatic and semi automatic weapons.” Cason from lincoln high. #NationalStudentWalkout pic.twitter.com/Sc6XeZUC7f
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
#NationalStudentWalkout pic.twitter.com/keaUMHIanu
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
Faith from Lincoln high is one of the main organizers. She tells the crowd how she got here. #NationalSchoolWalkout Portland. pic.twitter.com/CXTRb1Ylv4
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
“When you are too young to buy cigarettes, you are too young to buy a gun..” pic.twitter.com/IZ2dUM2Tp1
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
Says the students have been accused of being brainwashed, being crisis actors. “Can we start a revolution?” “Yes!” pic.twitter.com/Q9ki8tfUxr
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
“We are not afraid; but the politicians are. We voted you in and we will vote you out… we have allies in this community who want to keep their children safe in schools.” #NationalSchoolWalkout portland
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
Comments from mayor Ted Wheeler at Portland’s #NationalSchoolWalkout pic.twitter.com/upiGjJRQdG
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
Mayor Wheeler says he’s going to the legislature to ask that preventions against locally enacted gun laws be revoked. pic.twitter.com/LyLobmZHu4
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
Students from douglas, benson, Milwaukee, mount tabor middle school. These guys are from the latter, they’re sixth graders. pic.twitter.com/e8fgmG8hD4
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
Students from Douglas high school. Students are supportive of gun control. The student on the left says she was shot by a rubber bullet at a Trump protest. #NationalSchoolWalkout portland pic.twitter.com/LFAVuwRYIy
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
High school students explain why they’re out today. #NationalSchoolWalkout Portland. pic.twitter.com/t1Q0AfMxhl
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
More signs. #NationalSchoolWalkout Portland pic.twitter.com/DbpUH3fx1O
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
Fists raised for a moment of silence. #NationalSchoolWalkout Portland pic.twitter.com/m4bC0CNYZP
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
Chants that originated with the students in Parkland being chanted in Pioneer Square in Portland #NationalSchoolWalkout pic.twitter.com/CGpOAZCo8D
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
Students explain why they’re here. #NationalSchoolWalkout Portland pic.twitter.com/vPtl0OOjxd
— Kelly Kenoyer (@KenoyerKelly) April 20, 2018
