Parkland Survivors, Local Teens Bond At Naperville Town Hall

NAPERVILLE, IL — DuPage Universalist Unitarian Church was at capacity Saturday as survivors of the Parkland, Florida, shooting took the stage with local students to discuss the issue of guns in schools. Those who couldn't attend the town hall, which sold out faster than most people could look for tickets, stood outside with signs that demanded a change to the current gun laws and sought to prevent guns in schools.

Many of the students in attendance of the event are around the same age as the sudents who were gunned down in the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that claimed 17 lives. Many of the students in attendance were also born after the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School, which means they have not lived their lives without knowing of a mass school shooting.

The Parkland shooting became the catalyst for students across the country to band together and politicize to demand gun control. Immediately following the shooting, students organized protests, marches, and town halls locally.

This momentum is something Parkland survivor Cameron Klasky called one of the good things that has risen from the Parkland tragedy. He said the shooting has "shown [students] the best and worst of humanity — mostly the best." Another student followed up by saying that students in Chicago and other cities struggle with fears of gun violence daily, a statement that drew applause from the packed crowd.

In addition to the students, several adults turned out to show their support. Sean Casten, Democratic nominee for Illinois's 6th Congressional District, was one such figure who also attended Saturday's town hall in Naperville.

In addition to the talk, the town hall featured a voter registration station led by the local League of Women Voters and a car wash to help benefit survivors of the Parkland shooting.

The car wash, which was run by Downers Grove students, raised more than $1,100. After students presented a check to the Parkland teens, the Parkland students vowed to double the proceeds and donate them to a Chicago-based charity as a way to begin a working relationship with students in the Chicago area.

The town hall in Naperville was one of the first of several stops Parkland students plan to make on their Road To Change tour, a cross-country trek that will take them throughout the United States in an effort to raise awareness and promote gun control to effect change.

One thing students in the movement are hoping to do is start a conversation with those who don't agree with them. Klasky told the story of a friend of his who was approached by a counter-protester at an event. After the confrontation, the friend asked the counter-protester, "Why do you feel that way?"

"Within 14 minutes, they were hugging," Klasky said.

Image credit: Liana Messina/Patch