Houston March For Our Lives Draws Thousands Demanding Change

HOUSTON, TX — Thousands decended on Tranquility Park in downtown Houston Saturday morning as part of the nationwide effort to end gun violence in schools, known as March For Our Lives movement.

Protesters began arriving at the park at about 8 a.m. ready to march the six blocks to Sen. Ted Cruz's office to demand change and demand stricter gun laws.

Educators and students from as many as 90 different schools and universities in the Houston area.

"People need to realize that this isn't normal," said Cy-Ranch student Maya Castillo. "Guns are integrated into American culture. That's fine. I don't want to take away your guns, I just want to make it harder for you to use it, and get it."

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Alyssa DuPree, a Houston area 6th grade teacher who helped organize the event in Houston, still remembers Columbine, and and now lives with the prospect of a school shooting from much different perspective.

"In our district, we are expected to go over active shooting drills (with the students) so I have this speil I have to give," she said. "Unfortinuately, I have to give this several times a year because when a new school shooting happens, the kids start freaking out and they panic."

DuPree said the shooting in Parkland, Florida last month was especially tough because of how the shooter, Nikolas Cruz, carried out the plot by pulling the fire alarm.

"Kids were really scared, parents were terrified," she said.

The week of the shooting, DuPree said her campus an incident where the school's fire alarm went off, and it wasn't a drill.

As the alarm sounded, Dupree said no one wanted to move.

"It was terrifying" she said. "You're trained, and you know you could potentially be harmed in a fire, but this thing goes through your mind of are we putting our kids in danger."

Other teachers are scared too.

Mikaya Griffith and Alesha Chellam both teach in Aldine ISD, and described some of the things they have to tell their students to keep them calm while training for active shooter situations.

"We do our little drills. We have to tell them we are pretending, and its heartbreaking," Chellam said.

Desmond Floyd, a 10-year old Humble ISD 5th grader had never taken part in active shooter drills until he moved to his home in Humble ISD.

As a student who's parents worked overseas, he was educated in schools in southwest Asia until moving into the district recently.

In the days that followed the Parkland, Florida shooting, Floyd posted a Facebook comment about his experiences of participating in an active shooter drill and vowed to protect his classmates to the point of death, should this ever happen.

On Saturday, Floyd added his voice to the thousands of students who are tired of the violence in their hallways.

"If it came to a point where a shooter came down my hallway, I want to be the one who took the bullet. i want to the the one who saved my friends lives," Floyd said. "Even though I am 10-years old, I feel like I have lived the life I deserve."

Students like Flolyd are hoping that more voices can end the cycle of school shootings that have plagued the American landcape for nearly two decades, and they have the backing of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and US Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, who both spoke at the rally.

Turner was clearly inspired by the unity of the crowd, calling the demonstration a defining moment for the city and the nation.

"Students are not leaders for tomorrow, they are leading right now," Turner said. "This is a defining moment for our city, our state, and our country. When I look out at the crowd and see what students have done in leading this rally, it gives us a great deal of hope."

Turner announced the creation of the Mayor’s Commission to End Gun Violence which will focus on researching and recommending solutions at a local level.

"I want you to know that you are making a difference. Things can change in our city, things can change in our state, and things can chane in our country,"Turner said.

Image: Bryan Kirk/Patch Staff

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