By Deb Murphy
Wednesday morning on the lawn in front of Bishop High School, senior Jordan Kost held a banner listing the names and ages of the victims of last month’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida. At the bottom of the list Kost wrote “Enough.”
The same sentiments were reflected at a smaller gathering at City Park, a month after the last in a too long list of students and teachers who died too young.
The main topic at both events wasn’t gun control, but how to guarantee that Parkland would be the last mass school shooting. “We came out for the students,” Kost said, “and to look for the solutions.”
The consensus was everyone was scared, Kost said, “and that’s not okay.”
“We were honoring the lives lost,” Kost said in a phone interview. He called the walk-out positive, at the same time acknowledging that was an odd word to use for a sad event. “You have to stand tall,” he said. “You have to listen and hope others listen back.”
Mental health was a topic at both the school and the park. How do you identify students so alienated they turn to violence? A woman near tears at City Park thought metal detectors were part of the solution.
The school walk-out is the first of a national movement. Marches are scheduled for Saturday, March 24 and Friday, April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting that took 13 lives. Bishop High students participating in Wednesday’s walk-out weren’t even born then.
Then came the shooting at Virginia Tech, April 16, 2007, 33 dead; Sandy Hook, December 14, 2012, 26 dead; a community college in Roseburg, Oregon, October 1, 2015, 10 dead.
While schools nation-wide have incorporated additional safety measures, to Kost it seems nothing has been done. “Kids are still dying,” he said. “Things get drawn out for a while, but then they die down when something else comes along.”
With the strong activism of the Parkland students, Kost’s hope is this time it will be different. “We have to face the fear with courage and intellect,” he said.
Well since the abortion topic seemed to ruffle some feathers, let’s use texting while driving as an example. Six children ages 16-19 are killed EVERY DAY due to texting while driving but where is the national outcry to prevent this?? I don’t see cities supplying dozens of buses to transport… Read more »
Inyo Loca, Maybe being shot at school is more on student minds because they are rarely killed by abortion or texting drivers while in their high school classrooms? Got a source for that 1 mil claim? Mayor said 100k with private donations. Both of you seem to be throwing numbers… Read more »
Inyo Local – you’re on point!
Inyo Local….When I make the mistake of watching the National news networks recent lead-stories ,I just think it would be interesting,and kinda funny for them to support or preach much about “morals,relationships,and respect “,and bringing families closer together….
I personally cannot support children who are not responsible enough to vote, to push for “gun control” on the dime of politicians left of center. It’s the same tired policies the Democrats have been pushing for what now, 30 years? What’s the cliche definition of insanity? Odd how no one… Read more »
Realworld Problems….Judging from I’ve been seeing and hearing the past 18 months or so,maybe what this Country should have done back in November 2016 is GIVEN children the right to vote this time around and let the “responsible adults” sit this last election out…
Curious as to when the school will support the walk out to reduce child deaths from abortion. ALL gun related deaths nationwide average 35,141 while national average of deaths from abortion is 1,011,335. Isn’t the slogan “if we can save just one life, it will all be worth it”. There… Read more »
Inyo Local….you state “How about a walk out to publicize the need for morals,healthy family relationships,respect,understanding and mental health support “….agree with you on that there,but wonder,if it were to happen, how the trump administration and many of his supporters would deal with that kinda walk out…. would be interesting… Read more »
Low-Inyo… as far as the President and his administration are concerned, I doubt they would care the slightest either way. As far as supporters of the President, I don’t see why they wouldn’t support such an event that would work towards bringing our children, families and communities closer together. Wasn’t… Read more »
Low, I wasn’t tracking that in order to “March for our rights” we were supposed to give a rats about what anyone in office thought about it. Isn’t that why the 1st amendment still stands? The media bias is the only entity that cares about that, they definitely would not… Read more »
I don’t agree with the administration for allowing this protest without penalty to the students for missing class. Don’t like what is for lunch, go protest. If my kid misses too many classes, I get a letter in the mail. No worries anymore on that front, it’s just a protest.… Read more »
JD, agreed! I’d bet that most kids just wanted to get out of class more than anything. If this were to happen when I was in school, you find me and my hoodlum friends smoking a joint somewhere out of sight and just being happy we were not in class… Read more »
I wish they would start protesting for their civil rights back. These kids live in a total police state compared to 50 years ago .
Now they got these kids protesting to give up more of their civil rights and liberty. Really!
Trouble, First things first. Have to make the first step to get to thirteenth, twenty sixth, or anything in between. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of… Read more »
That’s the whole point of this debauchery, take away the rights of the people, empower the state. We call them sheep.
@Trouble, Have you ever traveled to places that were under a control of an actual “police state”?. I have and your flippant use of this term is a gross exaggeration. Taking issue with the ways our law enforcement and legal system protect our society is one thing, but your repeated… Read more »
The future looks brighter than the past or the present.
Charles, can you please try to explain how you can say that?
…Another time I agree with “Trouble ” on this one…with things going on now in America and the world,think things are looking pretty bleak ahead for the next generation…
Young voters throughout our nation soundly rejected Trump’s divisive message during the 2016 election. Young students throughout the country have marched rejecting the NRA and their unbending stance on the reasonable regulation of firearms. The younger generation has shown their faith in science and their concern about protecting our environment… Read more »
Charles O….agree with all of your above statement….question is,are we all gonna make it till 2020 until many of them can vote ?
http://www.king5.com/article/news/watch-student-pleads-with-classmates-for-kindness-at-moses-lake-hs-walkout/281-528703282
This young lady has figured it out
the Young People of our Nation have always got it right. Today is no exception. If you are Grand Parent age maybe you too remember this song. For What It Is Worth Buffalo Springfield There’s something happening here What it is ain’t exactly clear There’s a man with a gun… Read more »
Do they get it right, when they are doing the tide pod challenge? Or sending naked photos? Or threatening to sue every time a teacher asks them to do something?….
Yeah yeah, Philip, we all saw Forrest Gump; but life isn’t Hollywood movie, I’m sorry to say.
P.A., Don’t know if any of us have it “right”, and it may be pretentious of me to say they do or don’t. They certainly have the right of peaceable assembly and to petition for redress of grievances. I’ll stand by them on that any day. We don’t need no… Read more »
Buffalo Springfield released “For What it’s Worth” in January 1967. It proved to be prophetic. It proved to be an anthem for a generation and now we all have gray hair and horizons. Vietnam proved to be an outrage on every level. Young people in the streets had their say… Read more »
I commend all who participated. The best way to change the attitudes in this country is to register to vote then vote for candidates who have the best interests of the country in mind. It’s your future to determine. Don’t sit on the sidelines. Participate and be the change.
There is so much more to this than just guns, good to hear mental illness was brought up, bullying should also be a topic of conversation if it hasn’t already. High school kids are smart enough to understand school shootings and protesting and old enough to make a decision for… Read more »