Byron Kimball | Freelancer
Standing in solidarity with the victims of the Feb. 14 Parkland, Florida shooting and other acts of gun violence, hundreds of protesters gathered on the capitol steps for Salem’s own March for Our Lives rally. The event also served to demand Congressional action on gun control legislation. Simultaneous marches across the country saw hundreds of thousands of protesters march upon various cities, including Washington D.C.
Salem’s March for Our Lives rally was organized by students from local high schools and Willamette University, with Willamette student Allison Hmura taking a prominent role in coordinating the event.
“I am very interested in this particular march because it is student-driven and we need politicians to endorse common sense gun laws,” said Hmura in the event’s press release.
Also, helping organize the event was Lila Gardner, a Western senior who coordinated Western’s walkout on March 14.
A number of speakers presented at the march, including student organizers, state representative Paul Evans, state senate candidate Deb Patterson, Marion county commissioner candidate and former Willamette University professor Shelaswau Crier and Levi Herra-Lopez, the Executive Director of the community advocacy organization Mano a Mano.
Students made impassioned pleas for stronger action on gun violence. Among their demands, March for Our Lives organizers called for age limits on gun purchases, universal background checks on firearm purchasers, bans on some semi-automatic weapons and demilitarizing police forces across the country.
McNary High School senior Raul Marquez called for intersectional racial justice.
“We will stand in solidarity with all who seek justice (against community violence),” said Marquez.
Julian Holman, a Howard Street Middle School student, emphasized the dangers that marginalized communities, including the LGBTQ+ community, face from gun violence; “Imagine cutting hate murders in half. Imagine the lives we could save,” Holman expressed.
Evans condemned the National Rifle Association for their role in lobbying members of Congress to halt gun control legislation, stating, “I believe (gun) rights come with responsibility. I believe it’s time for common sense legislation.” Evans recently supported House Bill 4145, a bill that was signed into law by governor Kate Brown on Feb. 16. The bill, which prevents convicted domestic abusers from legally obtaining firearms, was one of the first gun control bills to follow the Parkland shooting.
After a musical performance by Western first-year Zyel Crier, marchers took to Salem’s streets. A small group of counter-protesters, bearing rifles and signs, stood across from the large crowd of assorted March for Our Lives protesters as they walked down Court Street. The counter-protesters dispersed quickly as the march continued on.
Shelaswau Crier, mother of Zyel Crier and the Democratic candidate for Marion County Commissioner, emphasized the need for action in the face of gun violence. : “The time for us to act is now.”
Contact the author at bkimball16@wou.edu
Photo by: Oregonlive.com
