Rockford high schoolers, along with their teachers, family, and supporters, will be hosting a big "March For Our Lives" event similar to the event being held in Washington D.C. tomorrow. The movement's objective is, according to the campaign's website,

On March 24, the kids and families of March For Our Lives will take to the streets of Washington DC to demand that their lives and safety become a priority and that we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools today.

March For Our Lives, Rockford will begin near Beatie Park at the parking lot near Jefferson Street bridge and end at Davis Park for a rally with speakers including  Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara. There will be a craft table, face painting, and a kindness card writing station at Davis Park. And, students are looking for used shoes for a public art project commemorating victims of gun violence. Please bring used shoes to donate.

The student spearheading this Rockford march is Rockford East E-Rab, Simon Davis, explained why this campaign is important to his peers.

We’re pushing this in Rockford because our city has been scarred by the poison of gun violence for the past 30 or so years. In this year alone there have already been numerous shootings within (sic) our city. Some of which could’ve possibly been prevented by extensive background checks when purchasing a weapon, and an improved mental health care system.

We also have representatives within our districts that don’t support common sense gun control. We’re doing this to send a message to them that enough is enough. It’s important to my peers and me because we have to live with the very real fear that a psycho with a gun could easily enter our schools and slaughter us.

March For Our Lives is not about removing the second amendment, it's about students expressing their concern about gun violence and misused weapons getting into the wrong hands. Organizers of the event have obtained a city permit for the march which must stick to sidewalks and not public streets. One of the organizers told me it's of utmost most importance that this is a non-confrontation law-abiding event that is family friendly.


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