The senseless slaughter of students in the classrooms and corridors of schools throughout the country continues with no action other than the tired refrain of “thoughts and prayers.”
Students in the Coachella Valley – and across the nation – are fed up and are taking action they say adults have been reluctant to own.
On Saturday, March 24, local area student governments are planning a communitywide event, “Students March For Our Lives Coachella Vally. The event begins at 10 a.m. at the Palm Springs High School Football Stadium, 2401 E Baristo Road in Palm Springs. Student speakers from Palm Springs High School, Cathedral City High School and Rancho Mirage High School. At least 300 are already confirmed.
Zjarvre Crawford
“We want this to be a student-led protest because we are the ones who see it most and feel it most,” said Zjarvre Crawford, student body president at Palm Springs High School. “We are the change. Students are ready to lead and want the support of our peers and the adults.”
Students understand the terrifying, life-altering impact guns have had on many people in America.
After the rally at the Football Stadium, the students and families of March For Our Lives will take to the streets to demand that their lives and safety become a priority and that we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools today. They will march to Palm Springs City Hall, the base of local power, said Crawford, 18, a senior at PSHS.
“Those are the people who have the power to help us make a change,” Crawford said. “The tragedy of gun violence has become too common and there’s been no change – not even action toward change,”
Crawford said she and fellow student leaders in the Palm Springs Unified School District have received incredible support from the district’s administration and teachers, the Palm Springs City Council, parents and the community.
“It has been amazing,” Crawford said.
The public is encouraged to participate. For details, you may call the INFO LINE at 760-992-4172. Click HERE to RSVP and lend your support to this effort.
The local march coincides with the national March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C. Right now, there are nearly 700 events planned on March 24, and counting. Americans across the country will be marching in Washington, D.C. and at local events in every state. This will be a march for all voices to be heard. RSVP here.
On Feb. 14, 17 of our classmates, friends, and educators were shot and killed, and dozens more injured during a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School – our school, Emma González, chair of March for Our Lives, said in an email to potential supporters.
Emma González
“Devastated, our country is grieving and demanding that our elected officials offer more than just their thoughts and prayers – we need action,” González said. “And, one month later, these politicians have shown yet again that they are incapable of enacting common sense gun measures. So now, thousands of people will be marching to demand that they do what’s right to ensure our lives are a priority over the gun lobby.”
When our country experiences a mass shooting, the NRA and their supporters in Congress always wait for our voices to quiet down, González said. “But we’re not going to quiet down. School is a place where we should feel safe, and if the politicians won’t do what’s right to keep us safe, then we’re going to be too loud for them to ignore.”
González is an American activist and advocate for gun control. As a high school senior she survived the February 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., and in response co-founded the gun-control advocacy group Never Again MSD.
At p.m. the same day, March 24, there will be a Coachella Valley #MarchForOurLives Rally at Frances Steven Park in Palm Springs. The public is welcome. RSVP for this rally only here.
