SOMA Students Hold School Walkout Against Gun Violence

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — They walked out of their classes on Wednesday morning in Maplewood and South Orange, joining thousands of their peers across the nation in a protest against gun violence.

On March 14, Columbia High School students participated in the national #ENOUGH rallies, which were timed for March 14 to coincide with the one-month anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

The walkouts each were slated to last 17 minutes, one for each life taken during the tragedy. (Learn more about the protest here)

Columbia High School students walked out of class around 10 a.m. and assembled in front of the building, demanding gun violence prevention measures in memory of the students and staff killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Organizers included:

• CHS Students for Justice
• CHS People On Women’s Equity and Rights (P.O.W.E.R.)
• CHS Black Student Union
• CHS Student Council

During their protest, the students demanded action steps to prevent gun violence and ensure the safety of schools and communities around the country. Students also read aloud from a list of 12 demands for gun violence prevention, safe schools and communities, and increased resources for students in crisis.

The protesting students released the following statement on Wednesday:

• We the students demand gun violence prevention now. This includes the banning of assault rifles and gun accessories, such as bumpstocks and high quantity magazines.
• We the students demand that you recognize that guns are the problem. By “you,” we mean the NRA, politicians, and the administration.
• We the students demand that students, teachers, and administration recognize the severity and relevance of gun violence and act appropriately in response. We need a building wide discussion about how to make code reds more effective. And further improvements for a safe community. All without giving up the comfort school should provide.
• We the students demand transparency between administration and students concerning safety and direct threats.
• We the students demand that mental health is not thought of as the main cause of gun violence. Guns are. Guns are the problem.
• We the students demand increased resources for students in crisis. We the students demand that our school provide adequate resources to identify and support students in crisis.
• We the students demand that guns stay out of the school. Out of the hands of students and teachers. And we demand that police are not brought into our schools except when there is an emergency.
• We the students demand that if guns are purchased, background checks are extensive and guaranteed. Japan has 13 steps to buy a gun; the United States Of America has two.
• We the students urge large corporations to stop the sale of assault rifles and to raise the minimum age required to buy a gun.
• We the students denounce politicians that accept the NRA’s blood money. We can stop gun violence without them.
• We the students demand that gun violence discussions be inclusive and extend to gun violence in places outside of school. We the students demand national policies so that no person has to fear gun violence in school, at a mall, at a concert, at a place of worship, at home, or anywhere they go.
• We the students recognize the civic responsibility to continue fighting after today. This includes voting. Our voices have power and soon our votes will too. Rejecting politicians in the pocket of the NRA. We should all participate in the March For Our Lives march and rally to be held on March 24 in SOMA, Newark, New York City, Morristown, and Washington D.C. Members of this community will gather at the Maplewood and South Orange train stations for a rally and then board trains to march in solidarity with other students in our area. Go to board of education meetings, clubs, and participate in future actions for gun violence prevention taking place at Columbia.

Columbia High School wasn't the only SOMA school to see a rally on Wednesday. In South Orange, hundreds of South Orange Middle School students marched around the building in solidarity with the day of national action, TAP Into SOMA reported.

In Essex County, student walkouts took place in towns including West Orange, Montclair, South Orange-Maplewood, Bloomfield, Nutley, Verona, Livingston, Millburn and Newark.

• See related article: School Walkouts In Essex County: Students Against Guns (WATCH)

Here’s what drove the national walkouts, according to organizers:

“We are living in an age where young people like us do not feel safe in our schools. This issue is personal for all of us, especially for those of us who are survivors of gun violence. We are walking out for ALL people who have experienced gun violence, including systemic forms of gun violence that disproportionately impact teens in black and brown communities. It is important that when we refer to gun violence, we do not overlook the impact of police brutality and militarized policing, or see police in schools as a solution. We also recognize the United States has exported gun violence through imperialist foreign policy to destabilize other nations. We raise our voices for action against all these forms of gun violence.”

While many districts have chosen to condone or embrace the protests, some, such as the Sayreville School District, have threatened to suspend participating students.

According to the ACLU of New Jersey, school officials are not allowed to prohibit or censor speech or press activities based on their content, unless it falls within one of two exceptions:

• “It is foreseeable that the speech will cause substantial disruption to the operation of the school”
• “It is too lewd or vulgar for the school audience”

Many parents and community members offered support for the student-led protest online. However, some 2nd Amendment advocates have argued against the students’ main assertion: more gun control laws will help to stop school shootings.

"Unfortunately, [Parkland] will not be the last mass shooting in America, in a school or any other soft target, and no new gun laws will prevent anyone with enough hate in their heart from committing such a crime," the New Jersey Second Amendment Society (NJ2AS) stated last month.

“We can certainly do better to improve the existing systems in place and properly enforce gun regulations already on the books,” the group stated.

• See related article: NJ Gun Advocates Say More Laws Won't Stop School Shootings

Are you for or against the student walkouts on March 14? Let us know why. Send a letter to the editor with your full name and town of residence to eric.kiefer@patch.com

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