Detroit, Suburban Student Organizers Talk About School Walkouts [VIDEO]
“This is an issue. And it’s getting into schools, and that’s really dangerous.”
Students across the country walked out of school on Wednesday to protest gun violence. Plenty of students at schools right here in and around Detroit organized walk-outs as well.
Detroit Today producer Jake Neher sat down with some of those students ahead of the protests. Renaissance High School Senior Imani Harris, Western International High School Senior Alondra Alvarez, and Grosse Pointe South Sophomore Evelyn Kuhnlein talk about their reasons for organizing the protests.
Alvarez tells Neher the issue of gun violence is especially important for students are her school in Southwest Detroit.
“We really need to talk about gun violence in the city, because that’s just something we’ve normalized over the last couple of years,” says Alvarez.
“This is an issue. And it’s getting into schools, and that’s really dangerous.”
The three students agree that they were inspired to take action after students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida organized a movement after surviving the school shooting there last month. They also all agree that they are tired of adults saying that they are unwitting pawns in an effort by gun control advocates to take away Second Amendment rights.
Detroit Today host Stephen Henderson also speaks with WDET education reporter Sascha Raiyn about the station’s coverage of the walkouts and about how schools are facilitating or restricting the protests.
Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation.
