1,500 Benicians March For Their Lives

BENICIA, CA — An estimated 1,500 people turned out Saturday for the Benicia March For Our Lives event, one of more than 80 similar demonstrations held across the Bay Area, the country and the world. Benicia Patch reader Alan Zada shared these photos of the First Street march, which he said organizers initially thought would draw some 800 participants.

The rallies followed student walkouts held nationwide March 14, a month from the day that 17 people died in a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

According to the March For Our Lives website, the rallies were held because: "In the tragic wake of the seventeen lives brutally cut short in Florida, politicians are telling us that now is not the time to talk about guns. March For Our Lives believes the time is now."

It was the first march in Benicia since World War II, a local news outlet reported.

"School safety is not a political issue," organizers of the Benicia march said on Facebook. "There cannot be two sides to doing everything in our power to ensure the lives and futures of children who are at risk of dying when they should be learning, playing, and growing. The mission and focus of March For Our Lives is to demand that a comprehensive and effective bill be brought before Congress to address these gun issues."

Photos courtesy Alan Zada