Thousands Unite For Austin 'March For Our Lives' Rally At Capitol

AUSTIN, TX — Thousands of students, teachers and parents gathered Saturday in downtown Austin demanding stricter gun laws and safer schools following the mass shooting last month in Florida that left 17 students and teachers dead.

The crowd gathered at Austin City Hall on 2nd Street first before marching up Congress Avenue to the Capitol where Mayor Steve Adler was scheduled to be among the speakers. Similar rallies were being staged in hundreds of cities across the country, coinciding with the massive demonstration in Washington, D.C.

First of the dignitaries present to speak to the large crowd, Adler addressed the students gathered as he began his remarks: "You have gotten done more in two months than my generation got done in 20 years." Thunderous applause ensued.

But Adler's admiration extended to all in attendance who suspended lingering anxiety over a recent series of parcel bombs that terrorized the city. He took time to thank members of law enforcement who ultimately tracked the culprit down, leading to his demise this past Wednesday morning when he blew himself up to elude capture..

There was a bit of star power at the rally too. Surprise guest Matthew McConaughey, the Oscar-winning actor, took to the lectern to address the crowd. McConaughey makes Austin his part-time home, a fixture at University of Texas at Austin football games and all manner of philanthropic events.

“This is an American issue," the actor said. "It’s a Texan issue. It’s a legal and law-abiding gun owner issue. It’s a mother issue. It’s a father issue. And, quite literally, this is our children’s issue. My hope here is that we can find a common ground on what I see as a very much a common sense issue. This is an issue anchored in purpose for all of us. It’s not anchored in politics. God bless and just keep living.”

Like Adler, State Rep. Gina Hinojosa addressed the youth whose outcries regarding their safety led to the mass rallies: "We work tirelessly as a team for you, and I'm proud to be a part of the Travis County delegation," she said. "But I want you to know: You are the ones who we've been waiting for. You who don't take no for an answer; you who do not compromise when it comes to protecting lives. You have woken up our democracy so that we remember our responsibility and our power. Because you know that when politicians don't act to protect us, they aren't the last word on this issue. We are: The young people, the students, the moms, the survivors, the communities heartbroken by gun violence."

Also in attendance was State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez who represents Texas House District 51 in Southeast Austin. He made no formal remarks at the rally on Saturday, but offered some thoughts on the gathering ahead of the event.

“Today's 'March for Our Lives' protest should be a powerful wake-up call for all of the elected officials who have failed to address gun violence in schools and jeopardized the lives of our students," he said. "The young people who gathered in Austin today are rightfully angry. They are organized, they are demanding action and they will not be ignored."

Rodriguez, who has two children attending public schools, praised the students who mobilized in staging the demonstration leading up to the Capitol.

“These incredible student protesters have rallied our entire community," Rodriguez said. "My family and I are proud to support them and we join the growing coalition of families, leaders, and elected officials who have been inspired by their powerful message."

The numerous rallies taking place across the country were an offshoot of disparate student walkouts from class in the days after the shooting at the Florida high school, peaceful protests in demanding gun control as the student mass exodus was a show of solidarity for victims and survivors of school shootings.

Ahead of the march, some 16,000 people expressed an interest in attending the Austin rally. The massive crowds that descended on the Capitol grounds attested to the large turnout telegraphed in those RSVPs. On social media, the hashtag #NeverAgain was created to call further attention to the gun control cause. All told, there were 826 rallies scheduled worldwide on Saturday, according to organizers.

Thousands of people converged at the Texas Capitol demanding gun control measures

In addition to Adler, others speakers included Hinojosa; State Sen. Kirk Watson; Jack Haimowitz, a s student survivor of the Feb. 14 Parkland, Fla. high school mass shooting that claimed 17 lives; Marie-Therese Morowski, another student who lost her best friends in the Dec. 14, 2012, Sandy Hook shooting that left 20 students between the ages of 6 and 7 along with six adults dead; and senior Jack Kappelman, a student at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) in Austin.

Watch "March For Our Lives" rally live from Austin:

The local demonstration takes on heightened anxiety in the wake of three weeks of terror after a series of parcel bombs in Austin that killed two people and injured others beginning March 2. Adler drew parallels to that violent episode, alerting how the fear that gripped an entire community over largely random bombing targets is akin to the fearsome realization students have daily that their schools could be the next site of a mass shooting.

The serial bombings in Austin came to an end early Wednesday morning, when the mastermind behind the terror blew himself up in his car as police closed in.

Related story: Funds Sought For Austin 'March For Our Lives' Demonstration

"Earlier this week, I know a lot of people were anxious that gathering in public would put them in danger," Adler said ahead of the event. "It's important to keep in mind that this is how a lot of kids feel every day about going to school after a mass shooting happens."

Before the march down Congress Avenue and onto the Capitol grounds, participants met at City Hall

March For Our Lives volunteer Hattie Lindell, 18, told Patch of the rally's significance not only for her personally, but members of her generation: "Right now, Millennials outnumber Baby Boomers; we have the largest voting bloc in the country."

At just 18, she's twice voted in elections, she said. As young people mobilize for protest, they need to use their voice at the ballot box to effect change as well, she suggested.

"If Millennials were to come together — the young generation, the new voters — if we could come together on an issue like gun control that affects all of us, we could make substantial, substantive change. We're the loudest voice right now. We're just not using it."

To further promote the tactic of voting, several people could be found among the crowds and sidewalks leading to the Capitol with clipboards in hand to register young people to vote. One woman taking position next to the volunteer tent on Capitol grounds told Patch she had signed up 18 people in the early stages of the rally.

Elisa Kissinger, mother of two high school students, stood along the procession route registering people to vote.

Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, said the marches were long in coming: “Americans have had enough," she said. "We won't stand idly by and allow our families to live in fear of gun violence while our lawmakers do nothing to help prevent it in the first place."

Watts said Moms Demand Action volunteers are honored to be part of the student-led movement in demanding stronger gun laws: "Lives are on the line, and we simply can't wait any longer to act. For many Americans, it's already too late.”

Adler is a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bipartisan group of more than 1,000 current and former mayors from nearly every state who are promoting and advocating for common-sense laws that reduce gun violence and save lives.

Father Rich Andre of St. Austin's church had something to say at the rally from his position outside the Capitol gate

The ride-sharing firm Lyft offered free rides to the rally as well as others throughout the country, having teamed up with March For Our Lives organizers to offer up to $1.5 million to cover fares in 50 cities staging demonstrations.

There were road closures along the procession's way to accommodate marchers. Patch reached out to the Austin Police Department for a list of those closures and learned that West Cesar Chavez Street in front of City Hall would be closed between Lavaca and Guadalupe streets ahead of the noon start of the demonstration. Additionally, the procession from City Hall to the Capitol required "rolling closures" along the route, including Congress Avenue.

But motorists didn't seem to mind being at a standstill, watching the crowd intently from their vehicles while gesturing in solidarity or chanting words of support accentuated by car horns. One man had his dog on his lap as he waved his fist in support with march participants. He waved his extended fist enthusiastically, and bore a satisfied, smiling expression on his face as participants marched by.

EVENT DETAILS AT A GLANCE

• What: March For Our Lives - Austin
• Who: Mayor Adler, Council Member Alter, Representative Gina Hinojosa, Senator Kirk Watson, Jack Haimowitz (a student survivor of the Parkland shooting), Marie-Therese Morowski (a student that lost her best friends in the Sandy Hook shooting), LASA senior Jack Kappelman
• When: Saturday, Mar. 24, 2018, noon to 3 p.m.
• Where: Beginning at City Hall and then marching to the capitol where the speeches will take place beginning at 1:30 p.m.

A number of organizations made downloadable posters and signs available for participants. The signs double as keepsakes for those wanting a memento of the movement.

• Amplifier.org/march-for-our-lives/
  
• The Brief: Download these posters for March For Our Lives
• Creedo
• Popsugar.com
• Refinery29.com
• Signs4ourlives.com
• Studio Number One

There was even a March For Our Lives “Color For Our Lives” poster-sized coloring book offered ahead of the rallies.

Here's what some of those posters look like:

Raychelle Duazo via https://amplifier.org/march-fo...

Detail of a free, downloadable #MarchForOurLives sign by Isabel Castillo Guijarro via refinery29.com/

Detail of a free, downloadable #MarchForOurLives sign by Isabel Castillo Guijarro via refinery29.com/

The Mission Statement for the March rallies describes its aim: “Not one more. We cannot allow one more

child to be shot at school. We cannot allow one more teacher to make a choice to jump in front of a firing

assault rifle to save the lives of students. We cannot allow one more family to wait for a call or text that never

comes. Our schools are unsafe. Our children and teachers are dying. We must make it our top priority to save

these lives.”

For a list of some of the rallies that took place across the country on Saturday, click here.

>>> Photos from Austin 'March For Our Lives' rally, Tony Cantú Patch staff