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School walkouts occurred all across the nation today to protest gun violence and to remember the 17 that died in the recent Florida school shooting. However, two schools in California- San Leandro High School and Righetti High School - were unable to walk out because they had their own school lockdowns due to threats made prior to the walkouts.
At Righetti High School in Santa Maria, students were on lockdown because of anonymous texts mentioning a weapon on school campus. In San Leandro, the graffiti shown in the photo was marked on a bathroom stall which prevented students from walking out. The threat caused the principal of San Leandro High School to even cancel school for tomorrow (Thursday, March 15) for the safety of the students and faculty.
Imagining walking into a bathroom and seeing this right before I was going to walk out to protest gun violence is a scary and ironic situation. It's disheartening to see that some may take these shootings like it isn't a big deal but there is a great number of students worried that anything can happen at any moment, and this isn't something to joke about. 9/11 happened once and since then, so many regulations were put in place. But how many more school shootings and innocent kids dying have to happen before something is done? This has been an ongoing problem for years, and it's finally the time when our leaders are acting like kids and kids are acting like leaders that change might finally happen.
Do you think the National Walk Out Day was a success? Why do you think threats are made during national protests and do you think they are ever successful? If you participated in the Walk Out today, what do you think is the next step in preventing gun violence? |
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I think the National Walk Out Day was a success. It was a day that gave students around the country an opportunity to stand up for what they believe in, and hopefully, it showed to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas students that they are not alone. It was an act of solidarity, and with so many schools participating, it was even more powerful. Especially during such a sensitive time, threats like the one made at the Righetti High School are probably made in order to get attention. These people that are making the threats are feeding off of everyone's fear and are looking to scare people. In this situation, where the principal had to cancel school, they were successful. However, I think it is a good thing that the principal is taking extra careful precautionary measures to keep the students and faculty safe. After this walk out, people, especially kids, need to continue to make sure their voices are heard and that this incident is not forgotten. With the march on the 24th, and the growing awareness surrounding gun violence and regulation, I think it is important to keep this momentum going in the future.
I think that in a sense, the walk-out was successful as it gave students a voice in these difficult times. However, I don't think it will have a big impact on Trump's decisions on gun regulation. I think that people make threats during national protests to just make fun of what others believe. I don't really understand what a "successful" threat is, but in terms of scaring others, they can be successful, as seen in San Leandro. As far as students go, the most we can do is keep protesting and raising awareness towards the problem.
I think that the National Walkout Day was a success. It gave us the power to voice our opinions in these difficult times. These threats were made to just respond to out lash of gun violence. These threats never work as students were strong enough to walk out. I think the next step is to let our congressman aware.
The National Walk Out Day was a huge success in so many aspects. I personally participated in our own school’s walk out yesterday and it was amazing to see all these students come together to honor the lives that were lost. Not only that but because this was a worldwide event, (schools in Germany and other countries participated also), the government cannot keep ignoring the issue. I find it ridiculous how negative some people were being about the walkout and some, instead kept insisting that “guns don’t kill people” or how “this wouldn’t change anything”. If anyone takes a brief look back at the worlds history, change does not come on its own. Change must be demanded, it occurs when diverse groups of people come in unison and fight for their rights. Additionally, I think it is important to note that yesterday’s walk out was to honor the lives lost in the shooting and to show sympathy to all those affected by this. It was about showing support. The upcoming March 24 walk out will be more directly demanding gun control and requesting direct action. Overall, it was inspiring and heart warming to see masses of people united for a good cause.
I would say that overall, national walkout day was a success, however, I am a little conflicted about the Aragon walkout. First of all, I think it's very nice that the school supported us and allowed us ton voice our opinions in a respectful manner. At the same time, however, I think that the school fully and openly supporting the walkout made the protest slightly less meaningful. The way I see it, the point of a walkout is to voice your opinion through civil disobedience. By supporting our protest, I think the school, at least partially, undermined the meaning of our demonstration. I'm not saying it was right or wrong for the school to support us, but I just wanted to point out the irony of the school supporting a protest that is usually meant to be disobedient. This being said, I did think the event was very nice, it just didn't feel like a walkout.
I suppose one could call it a sit-in.
I remember my rifle course instructor telling us that he was a 6th grade teacher back in Utah. He took firearms training courses on his personal time, and acquired a concealed carry license. He said that he always carried his pistol on his waist during classes, and that he would have used it if needed in order to protect his students. He seemed very dedicated towards his students' wellbeing. I'm not saying that this is viable for all schools, but I do admire this man's courage and sense of duty for his community, and willingness to act on it.
I was glad to see people all over the country participating in the walk-out. More guns lead to more shootings, and I think that arming teachers is just a band aid to a gun wound. This also ignores the fact that there are some teachers who shouldn't be carrying guns. There are bad people who are teachers and could harm students (as seen in the Georgia shooting). I would feel less safe and scared for my friends and relatives in school if teachers were to be armed.
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