Brown Students Participate in Walkout and Statehouse Rally
On March 14th, 2018, Brown students joined others across the country and walked out to support victims of the Parkland school shooting and call for greater gun control. The day marked the one-month anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.Hundreds of students participated, some walking out of class and some using their free time to show their support.
One of the lead student organizers of the walkout, Keiko Cooper-Hohn ‘21, spoke at the event. She said that one of the reasons she helped organize this walkout was because "the time for us to take action is long overdue. Gun violence is not an issue we can classify as ‘political’ and choose to remain neutral on. These are our lives. This is the safety of every student and faculty member [at Brown].”She emphasized that those hoping to make change must do more than just feel angry.“[We must] join our hands, our hearts, our brainpower, willpower, our voices (and our wallets!), and we will change the course of history. When large groups of people speak out, especially students (because we are the future!), we will get the attention of policy makers, and we will pack on the pressure until they crack. We are all here saying, enough.” 
Students walked out with a myriad of motivations, but a common theme seemed to be that they wanted to stand with the many students their own age who face gun violence on a daily basis."I attended the walkout for a few reasons: I wanted to stand in solidarity with the Parkland students, show my support for the #NeverAgain movement, and participate in one of the many initiatives across the country that is demanding stricter gun control,” said Bella Cavicchi ‘21, who walked out of class on Wednesday morning. “I didn’t know what to expect from it, but I wanted to give it a try,” said Shinyoung Lee ‘21, who had spare time on Wednesday and decided to take part in the walkout. “I attended the walkout to carry out the type of civic responsibility that I think I’m supposed to have. Issues of gun violence are still surreal to me and I felt the need to educate myself through this event so that I wouldn’t remain apathetic to this issue.”Some students felt that the issue of gun violence extends beyond school shootings and is directly related to the Second Amendment itself. “I think it's extremely important to express my concerns about gun laws and practices...the Second Amendment is antiquated and was created when guns were far less efficient and were used for militial and hunting purposes,” said Katie Phillips ‘21, who had to reschedule a test in order to attend the walkout. “I believe that there is no reason for people to be able to access assault rifles and this seems to be one of the ways through which I can most directly express that to our government.” After the walkout, there was also a rally at the Rhode Island State House. According to the organizers, the rally was held in support of a full ban on guns on school grounds, a ban on assault weapons and bump stocks, and an increase in school counselors instead of school police officers. A large delegation of Brown students also attended this gathering, and many did so because they felt Rhode Island faces particular challenges when it comes to passing gun legislation.Images via, via Larissa Dorn, Riley Hughes, Jane Diaz BradleyInfo on RI Politicians funded by the NRA via