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March for Our Lives Video Stream and Wikipedia Article

Author: Global News and Wikipedia

March for Our Lives

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

March For Our Lives.svg

Date March 24, 2018
Location Washington, D.C., over 800 other US cities, and more worldwide[1]
Type Demonstration (protest)
Theme Gun violence awareness
Support of gun control
Cause School shootings in the United States
Organized by Members of Never Again MSD, in cooperation with Everytown for Gun Safety
Participants 1.2+ million protestors across the United States; more globally.[2][3]
Website

marchforourlives .com

March for Our Lives (sometimes MFOL)[4] was a student-led demonstration in support of tighter gun control that took place on March 24, 2018, in Washington, D.C., with over 800 sibling events throughout the United Statesand around the world.[5][6][7][8][9] Student organizers from Never Again MSD planned the march in collaboration with the nonprofit organization Everytown for Gun Safety.[10] The event followed the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, which was described by many media outlets as a possible tipping point for gun control legislation.[11][12][13]

Protesters urged for universal background checks on all gun sales, raising the federal age of gun ownership and possession to 21,[14] closing of the gun show loophole, a restoration of the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, and a ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines in the United States and a ban on bump stocks.[15] Turnout was estimated to be between 1.2 to 2 million people in the United States,[16][17][18] making it one of the largest protests in American history.[2]

Planning

Cameron Kasky at a rally in February 2018

Following the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, Cameron Kasky, a junior at the school, and his classmates, announced the march four days later.[19] Also joining the march efforts are Alex Wind of Stoneman Douglas High School, who along with four friends created the "Never Again" campaign.[10] Emma González and David Hogg, also survivors of the shooting, have been vocal supporters of the march.[20]

The date was chosen in order to give students, families and others a chance to mourn first, and then on March 24, talk about gun control.[20] Organizers filed a permit application with the National Park Service during the week of February 23, and expected as many as 500,000 people to attend.[21][22] However the National Mall, which was the planned site of the main march in Washington, D.C. was reportedly already booked for March 24; the application, filed by an unidentified local student group, claimed it was for a talent show.[23][24] A permit was later obtained for Pennsylvania Avenue.[25] The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced it would operate extra trains for the march.[26]

The Enough! National School Walkout was held on the one month anniversary of the Stoneman Douglas shooting.[27][28] It involved students walking out from their classes for exactly seventeen minutes (one for each of the victims of the massacre)[29] and involved more than 3,000 schools across the United States[30][31] and nearly one million students.[32] Thousands of students also gathered and staged a rally in Washington D.C. after observing 17 minutes of silence with their backs to the White House.[28][33] After the success of the walkout, Hogg posted a tweet[34] that included a provocative, NRA-style advertisement calling out lawmakers for their inaction on or opposition to gun control efforts, asking "What if our politicians weren't the bitch of the NRA?", and ending with a promotion for the upcoming March.[35]

Celebrity and corporate support

Amal and George Clooney donated $500,000 to support the march and announced they would attend. Oprah Winfrey matched the Clooney donation to support the march.[36][37] Jeffrey Katzenberg and his wife Marilyn also contributed $500,000.[38] Film director and producer Steven Spielberg and actress Kate Capshaw Spielberg donated $500,000, also matching the donation of the Clooneys.[39] On February 23, Gucci announced they were also donating $500,000 towards the march.[40] Other people and organizations offering support have included Justin Bieber,[41] Gabby Giffords, Lauren Jauregui, Alyssa Milano, Moms Demand Action, Amy Schumer, St. Vincent, Harry Styles,[42] Hayley Williams,[43][44] Paul McCartney,[45] Kanye West, and Kim Kardashian.[46][47] John Legend and Chrissy Teigen donated $25,000.[48] Jimmy Fallon pledged to attend an event with his family.[49] Samantha Bee interviewed kids.[50] Jim Jefferies interviewed participants in San Diego.[51] Other celebrities including Taylor Swift have donated an undisclosed amount of money toward the campaign.[52]

James Corden promoted the March for Our Lives event.[53] John Zimmer and Logan Green, the co-founders of Lyft, announced their support of the rallies and stated that their company would provide free rides for those attending demonstrations.[54] Dating app Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd subsequently announced that they were supporting the NeverAgain movement by banning all images of firearms on their dating application.[55]

John Cena and Millie Bobby Brown applauded the March for Our Lives event at the Kids Choice Awards.[56]

Prayer and vigil on the eve of the rally

Prayer and vigil at the Washington National Cathedral.

In Washington, D.C. a prayer and vigil was held at the Washington National Cathedral on the eve of the rally, as a memorial for the victims of gun violence, and to declare the church's belief, "This work is rooted in our commitment to Jesus' command to love our neighbors as ourselves...we gather out of a conviction that the right to bear arms does not trump the right to life."[57][58][59] The litany also included the following refrain:

From so many heartbreaks comes forth a united commitment to go into the streets of our cities and towns and promote a way of peace and well-being for all people. With compassion sown from the threads of sadness and terror, we will mend a nation tattered by gun violence and weave a new cloth of hope and peace.[60]

Guest speakers included Philip and April Schentrup, parents of 16-year-old Carmen Schentrup, who was killed in the shooting in Parkland, Florida.[57][60]

Participation

File:David Hogg - Politicians, get your resumes ready.webm

Portion of speech by David Hogg
External video

March For Our Lives Rally, Washington, D.C., March 24, 2018, C-SPAN

March for Our Lives was among the biggest youth-led protests since the Vietnam War era.[61][62][63] Estimates of participation at the main event in Washington, D.C., range from 200,000 to 800,000.[64][65][66]

The speakers—all of whom were high schoolers or younger—included Marjory Stoneman Douglas students Cameron Kasky, David Hogg, Delaney Tarr, Sarah Chadwick, Alex Wind, Jaclyn Corin, Ryan Deitsch, Aalayah Eastmond, Samantha Fuentes, and Emma González.[67][68][69][66][70] Hunter Pollack, brother of victim Meadow Pollack, was scheduled to speak but did not attend due to a logistical issue,[71] which he contended was a result of being misled by event officials.[72][73] David Hogg tweeted out a video of Hunter's speech from a later event.[74]

Other participants included Naomi Wadler, who is an elementary school student in Alexandria, Virginia,[75][76][77] Trevon Bosley from Chicago whose brother was shot and killed leaving church,[78] Edna Lizbeth Chavez, a high school student from Los Angeles,[79] and Zion Kelly, whose twin brother was shot and killed during an armed robbery.[80] Yolanda Renee King, granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr., also made an appearance[81] along with Mya Middleton, a student from Chicago,[82] Matt Post, a senior from Montgomery County,[83] Christopher Underwood, an 11-year old from New York,[84] Alex King and D'Angelo McDade from Chicago,[85] and Matthew Soto, brother of Sandy Hook victim Victoria Soto.[86]

Emma González seen on a Jumbotron in the distance during her moment of silence.

González, after speaking and naming the seventeen victims, stood silent for over four minutes, after which a cellphone alarm went off and she announced that it was the six minute and twenty second point in her speech, equal to the length of the Parkland shooting.[87][88][89] González ended her speech saying,

Since the time that I came out here, it has been 6 minutes and 20 seconds. The shooter has ceased shooting, and will soon abandon his rifle, blend in with the students as they escape, and walk free for an hour before arrest. Fight for your lives before it's someone else's job.[90]

then walked off stage as the entire crowd along Pennsylvania Avenue applauded loudly. Her speech and emotional moment of silence was praised by media organizations as one of the "most memorable"[91] and "powerful" moments in the day's events.[92][93]

Singers Ariana Grande, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Platt, Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Hudson, Andra Day, Common, Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga and Demi Lovato joined student-led marchers in Washington, D.C.[70][94]

Responses

National Rifle Association

On March 21, NRA TV host Grant Stinchfield stated that "March for Our Lives is backed by radicals with a history of violent threats, language and actions"; fact-checker PolitiFact has rated this statement as being "without merit" and "Pants on Fire" indicating that it is a "ridiculous claim".[95][96]

While the march was occurring, the NRA posted a membership drive video on their Facebook page, declaring that the "protests aren't spontaneous. Gun-hating billionaires and Hollywood elites are manipulating and exploiting children as part of their plan to DESTROY the Second Amendment". Another video dubbed "A March for Their Lies" was uploaded to YouTube featuring Colion Noir, in which he described the planned rally as a "carnival of a march". Noir also said in the video that there is an "agenda that's a million times bigger than the guns".[97][98][99]

Politicians

The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, leading the NYC March For Our Lives rally

The Washington Post reported that there were many Democrats encouraging the marchers, and many of them, including candidates for office, participated from the sidelines in the march, but few Republicans did similarly.[100] The White House said in a response that they "applaud the many courageous young Americans exercising their first amendment rights".[101]

On the day of the protests, Florida Republican senator Marco Rubio responded by stating: "However, many other Americans do not support a gun ban" and "view banning guns as an infringement on the Second Amendment rights of law abiding citizens that ultimately will not prevent these tragedies". He called for protesters to find "common ground with those who hold opposing views" for change to happen. However, a blanket gun ban was not called for by the protests.[102][103][104]

Former Republican senator and presidential candidate Rick Santorum criticized the Parkland activists, suggesting during an interview with CNN that students should be learning ways to respond to a shooter rather than asking lawmakers "to solve their problem"; Santorum advised students to take classes in CPR rather than marching in Washington.[105][106] The Washington Post quoted several doctors responding to Santorum that CPR would not be at all effective on gunshot victims as they were suffering from blood loss.[107]

Former Democratic President Barack Obama said that he was "so inspired by all the young people" who made March for Our Lives possible. He addressed them: "Keep at it. You're leading us forward. Nothing can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change."[108]

Media

A report in The New Yorker praised the leaders of the march for their "extraordinary inclusiveness" in that they expanded the locus of concern from suburban schools to those of urban neighborhoods as well.[109]

On social media, fake pictures and GIFs of Emma González tearing up a copy of the U.S. Constitution were circulated in an effort to discredit the march. The images were doctored from originals of González tearing up a shooting target sign. Actor and conservative commentator Adam Baldwin defended circulating the doctored images as "political satire".[110][111]

Celebrities

Jesse Hughes, a survivor of the Bataclan terrorist attack, called the march "pathetic", but after being criticized for his comment, later apologized saying, "I was not attempting to impugn the youth of America and this beautiful thing that they accomplished. I truly am sorry, I did not mean to hurt anyone or cause any harm."[112][113][114][115]

DMU Timestamp: April 27, 2018 17:09





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