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Students march toward the State Capitol from Brown's Island during the Virginia National School Walkout Protest. (Photo by Adam DuBrueler)
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A student protester leads a chant as the group marches toward the State Capitol. A frequent call and response: "What do we want? Gun control! When do we want it? Now!" (Photo by Adam DuBrueler)
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A student speaker addresses the crowd on Brown's Island. (Photo by Adam DuBrueler)
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Henrico students send a message. (Photo by Adam DuBrueler)
On the 19th anniversary of the mass shooting at Columbine High School, over 300 students and activists gathered in Richmond to march to the State Capitol and demand action on gun violence as part of the Virginia National School Walkout Protest.
“I think all of it is really just a fight for one simple change: that's gun control,” says Maxwell Nardi, a senior at Freeman High School who coordinated Friday’s event. “You know, common-sense gun control should be accepted. And anyone that says otherwise needs to look at more statistics.”
Columbine, says Nardi, was “where this epidemic started really showing that gun violence has always been a problem. It's really powerful with that history, to say, ‘Nineteen years, we've come?’ No. Now, let's actually fix it, let's actually make a change.”
Friday’s protest took place a little over a month since the first wave of school walkouts occured on March 14, a month after 17 people died in a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Starting at 10 a.m., groups of students in Richmond and around the country walked out of school to call for action by elected leaders to stop gun violence.
Jillian Wohltmann, a sophomore at Godwin High School, takes part in the march. (Photo by Adam DuBrueler)
In Richmond, participants gathered at Brown’s Island at noon, then marched to the Virginia State Capitol, joined by Attorney General Mark Herring, former 5th District Rep. Tom Perriello and Del. Debra Rodman, D-Henrico.
Among the students participating was Addison Kenny, a sophomore at Deep Run High School, who says she walked out of school to fight for background checks on guns and because “school safety means a lot.”
“We shouldn’t be scared to go to school,” agrees Kayla Huertas, a freshman at Glen Allen High School.
“Preventing gun violence is a matter of what is right and what is wrong, for now and for the future to come,” says Mayank Bhatia, a student from Henrico High School.
“It’s just really important for us to have our voices and speak out,” says Jillian Wohltmann, a sophomore at Godwin High School who was joined by her mother and aunt.
A small cluster of gun-rights activists on the Capitol grounds observed the students from a distance.
“I am here because I feel sorry for these kids. These kids don’t know what they are protesting,” says Timothy Forster, an NRA member who carried a firearm on his belt. “The problem isn’t guns, the problem is gun-free zones. The problem isn’t politicians, the problem is these kids bullying other kids. The reform we need is with the public education system. It’s not a gun problem, it’s a people problem.”
"How many more lives will we lose to gun violence?” asked Gov. Ralph Northam. (Photo by Adam DuBrueler)
On the Capitol steps, Gov. Ralph Northam, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and Del. Chris Hurst addressed the student protesters and other advocates.
“We march, we do whatever we can to start change,” Northam said. “How many more dates do we have to add to the calendar? How many more lives will we lose to gun violence?”
Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax asked the students to raise their hands if they would be eligible to vote in the next couple of years. (Photo by Adam DuBrueler)
Fairfax followed up by saying, “The future belongs to you, the future belongs to us. The future is now, we need change now.” The lieutenant governor commented on the colors in the crowd representing different schools, adding, “Today we all go to the same school, a school called change.”
Herring urged the young actvists to vote out elected officials who oppose gun reform. “Our country needs you right now,” he said. “Gun violence is happening every day in Richmond, how many more tragedies do we have to endure before we do something?”
Hurst, D-Blacksburg, told the group, “I didn’t enlist, I was drafted into this fight,” and explained his heartbreak when when his late girlfriend, broadcast journalist Alison Parker, was shot and killed on live TV in 2015. “I think it’s time for us to say enough is enough.”
School system officials in Richmond and Henrico County said the students who left school would be excused if they have written permission from a parent or guardian. Chesterfield County officials did not respond to a request for information about the system’s policy.
Protesters listen to the speakers at the State Capitol. (Photo by Adam DuBrueler)
The #NationalSchoolWalkout was founded by Lane Murdock, a sophomore at Ridgefield High School in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Over 2,600 schools planned walkouts on April 20, with almost one protest in every state, according to the website.
Nardi, the local organizer, created a GoFundMe account to raise money to promote statewide action on school shootings and gun violence. The account raised $430 since March 6.
Expressing appreciation for the donations, he says, “The amazing thing here is there's so much support that needs our recognition for what they are lending, not even financial support, just the support of bringing awareness, getting volunteers, and getting people out.”
In September, Nardi will begin his freshman year as a Jefferson Scholar at the University of Virginia. When the General Assembly’s 2019 session begins in January, he plans to call attention to what he calls flaws in Virginia laws regarding guns, such as a lack of minimum age to purchase a gun and lack of effective background checks.
“The day that the Virginia General Assembly starts,” he says. “I want to be there.”
