VIDEO: Denny International Middle School students march/rally against gun violence

12:26 PM: As noted in our daily previews, a student-organized protest march is happening right now. It’s organized by 8th-grade students from Denny International Middle School, who say they “want to publicly make a statement that we as students want stricter gun laws to ensure that we no longer must live in fear of gun violence.”

This announcement details their route. Hundreds of students are participating, using sidewalks; they’re along 35th now, turning onto Trenton.

12:44 PM: They’re now gathering on the field at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (which is across Thistle from the Denny-Sealth complex).

1:40 PM: We just left the stadium as the rally was wrapping up after more than half an hour of impassioned student speeches – some as simple as “Enough is enough!”

2:38 PM: More photos added above. Before the rally concluded, we talked briefly with two of the organizers, Addison Whited and Hazel Simper.

This was entirely student-organized, stressed Denny principal Jeff Clark, who was monitoring the event and told us, “We’re very proud of our scholar leaders, but this is their event.” In email, the student organizers said these are proposals they’re specifically advocating for:

-Waiting periods after purchase
-More thorough background checks
-Responsibility laws (parents are responsible for kids using their guns)
-Methods to report unsafe gun users effectively
-Close gun loopholes(Gun shows/Boyfriend/Charleston/Hate crime/and patchwork law gun loopholes)
-Must enforce license for open-carry firearm
-New gun safety tests to allow access to firearms (especially parents and kids)
-Mental-health screenings
-Police having stricter access to guns

Speeches at the stadium were open-mic-style, with students lining up for turns.

One asked, “How many more dead kids will it take for people to pay attention?” Another promised they won’t stop advocating until change happens. From another: “I believe in freedom … the freedom not to be in a dark room wondering if this is a drill or the real thing.”

15 Replies to "VIDEO: Denny International Middle School students march/rally against gun violence"

  • Vee March 25, 2022 (12:32 pm)

    Good for them, kids have lot  of stressors happening in their youth

  • No2A Stop the madness March 25, 2022 (1:40 pm)

    Thank God for this generation. Hopefully they can get these guns off the streets and abolish the 2A. It’s so outdated, eliminating  guns will make our world and communities safer. If we make the right choice and give up our weapons to the government the criminals will see that we mean business and want peace. “An eye for an eye the whole world goes blind.” -Bob Marley 

    • Pessoa March 25, 2022 (7:00 pm)

      Thankfully, repeal of the 2nd Amendment will probably never happen, as the legislative hurdle is too high and it has been buttressed by the 2008 “District of Columbia versus Heller”  SCOTUS  decision, a unanimous decision, by the way.   The argument for the 2nd Amendment today is as relevant as it was when the Constitution was written with a tyrannical King George in mind. 

  • Pedro March 25, 2022 (1:59 pm)

    Way to go kids.  This is the next generation that will hopefully lead us away from gun violence. 

  • WSDUDEMAN March 25, 2022 (4:01 pm)

    Lots of great points kids, but I noticed they were not advocating for very strict sentencing or punishments for gun crimes…..strange. If you are making the decision to commit crime using a firearm and you are caught, there should be zero leniency. 

    • Out of curiosity March 25, 2022 (6:20 pm)

      They were protesting gun violence at schools. Its only a tip of a very large and disgusting iceberg that specifically affects them. Anyone pre Columbine has the luxury of not knowing what a lockdown drill is and how it affects our youth.  I for one have always had a lingering dread that one day my entire family could be gone (my wife and kids all attended the same school)in one more “incident”. Always remember Dec 14. Sadly they couldn’t check all the boxes. 

  • Barb Z March 25, 2022 (4:20 pm)

    Hooray for these courageous young people!  With so much disruption & sadness in their young lives these past two years, they still have the strength to stand up & speak for something so integral to the hope for a happy future – something that the adults in their lives have unfortunately failed to do.

  • Anne March 25, 2022 (4:42 pm)

    Great- hope they all keep that energy & commitment when they turn 18 & can vote.  

  • CarDriver March 25, 2022 (4:43 pm)

    While protesting gets noticed and press; kids (and EVERYONE else). VOTE.  Pay attention to what the politicians are and aren’t doing and let them know you ARE paying attention and vote accordingly. Yelling at the tv or pounding on computer keys may give you a warm feeling but accomplishes ZILCH.

  • J Hitch March 25, 2022 (7:01 pm)

    These young people are inspiring. Their lack of apathy compared to previous generations gives me hope. ❤️

  • Chris K March 25, 2022 (7:42 pm)

    I applaud their effort.  It would be awesome if they could direct this same energy to automobiles.

  • CJ March 25, 2022 (9:39 pm)

    Nice job for organizing and having a voice!!  These youth are very inspiring, it’s sad that they have these (legitimate) fears because the adults in charge can’t get the job done.  I do hope their enthusiasm continues when it’s time to vote.  

  • valvashon March 26, 2022 (5:13 am)

    Educate yourself if you don’t think the Second Amendment should be repealed.  “Well regulated militia” is coded language for the Southern “Slave Patrols”.  This amendment has it’s roots in the racist slave system originally in place in the South.  Both Thom Hartmann and Carol Anderson have written excellent books on the subject.

    • Pessoa March 26, 2022 (1:26 pm)

      This argument is ignoring the whole historical tradition and mistrust of standing armies and tyranny that founding fathers inherited from England.  Militia’s were used as so-called slave patrols, sadly, but this is only one part of the amendment’s complicated history.  I wouldn’t discard everything that Thom Hartmann writes – or anyone for that matter – but he has an agenda which is generally to put the origins of America in the most unsavory light possible.  

  • Marco Behar March 26, 2022 (9:12 am)

    These  maturing students are quite aware that America is the most violent nation on earth. The  insane addictions to the 2nd amendment by state legislators and The Supreme Court  to allow weapons of war to be owned by any citizen has made our nation unsafe for all citizens.  Gun madness rules our nation spurred on by the  NRA ,gun manufacturers and Republican legislators across the nation.  We live in a very toxic and dangerous nation,  There are to many Americans who love guns rather than the safety of their fellow citizens. 

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