This Saturday, students from across the country are converging in Washington, D.C. for what they’re calling a March for Our Lives to draw attention to gun violence and school safety; dozens of local marches are planned across the country as well, including several in the Tampa Bay area.
Here are links to student-led demonstrations in Lakeland and in Tampa. There is also a demonstration in Bradenton, from noon to 2pm.
Madison Vogel is a junior at Osceola Fundamental High School in Pinellas County and is helping to organize a march in St. Petersburg. She’s also the CEO of a group she founded, We the Students. WMNF interviewed her Tuesday, the day of another school shooting, this one in Maryland, outside of Washington, D.C.
Listen:
“We are advocating for common-sense gun control, mental health awareness and racial acceptance. And we are the students behind planning the March for Our Lives for Pinellas County that’s taking place in St. Pete.”
That march is going to be this Saturday. When and where?
“It is going to be this Saturday at Poynter Park, which is adjacent to the USF St. Pete campus. And it starts at 11:00 a.m. and it goes until 3:00 p.m.”
“We will be marching for basically for what common-sense gun control and what gun violence means to us. And what we can come together as people of — not only Pinellas County — but people in the United States can come together and basically March for Our Lives, that exactly, as students.
“Even just today there was another school shooting in D.C. We should never have to feel not safe in our schools and we should be able to fight for our lives and call for change.”
Who will be some of the speakers there besides students?
“We are going to have Congressman Charlie Crist as well as Mayor of St. Petersburg, Mayor [Rick] Kriseman.”
