PARKLAND, FLA. (WSVN) - Supporters have begun to gather for local March For Our Lives rallies in South Florida, Saturday morning.
“Everything’s come together beautifully,” said Marjory Stoneman Douglas student and organizer Sam Resnick.
As many as 20,000 to 30,000 people are expected to attend the rally at Pine Trails Park in Parkland.
“Well, Parkland is where it all started. It was our school that started this entire movement, our students that are working so hard up there in D.C. right now as we speak,” said a Stoneman Douglas freshman. “So it is important that we show how strong we are as a community and how we’ve come together after the horrors that occurred and how now we’re fighting for change.”
“I hid in the closet for about an hour and a half with 28 other people,” said the freshman. “We had no idea what was going on. For a period of time, we didn’t even know if it was a shooting, if it was a drill, what was going on.”
The freshman girl said she was friends with one of the shooting victims. “All I’m doing right now is in honor of her and the 16 other victims,” she said.
At the Parkland rally, there will also be places set for people to register to vote.
“It’s important that you vote and that you have your voices heard in government and that you know who you’re voting for,” said the freshman. “Don’t just vote for someone because of the ‘R’ or the ‘D’ next to their name. Vote for them because you know what they stand for, and you stand with them.”
The rally at Pine Trails Park begins at 10 a.m.
Supporters have begun gathering for a local rally in Miami Beach, as well.
A 17-year-old student held a poster that read, “I should be writing my English paper, not my will.”
“We are not just teens,” said the student. “We are teens that are involved, and we are teens that are educated about our political system, and we’re here to stay. We’re here to show our support and to show that we are here for change.”
“So basically, adults right now and politicians are canceling out our views, saying that us students aren’t educated enough on this topic or that we don’t know what we’re talking about, we don’t know what we’re advocating for, but we do.” said another student. “Although we’re 18 years old and we’re young, we do have the knowledge and we do have the power to stand up for an issue like this.”
Security is also tight around Washington, D.C., Saturday morning, as Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students and their supporters prepare for the March For Our Lives there.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to participate in the march in D.C., which begins at noon and runs until 3 p.m.
Parts of Pennsylvania Avenue will be closed for the march. Once the crowd reaches the main stage at the U.S. Capitol, they will hear from outspoken students and watch performances from stars supporting the effort.
Leading up to the march, Parkland parents and kids shared why they made the trip to D.C.
“‘Cause we’re right next to the school, we saw everything that was happening, we saw how everyone felt about it, and we saw all the actions that us as a city try to make change it,” said student Logan Walsh. “And I’ve seen what the students at Douglas and all the families and all the people in our city can do, at least on a state level, and I’m hoping that here, as all of us are gathering here, that we can help do it at a country level.”
“This is real life history, this is a civics lesson that you can’t learn in class,” said parent Chris Walsh. “You come here, and you’re gonna be part of hopefully making a huge change. In Florida, we’ve gotten the gun laws and the school safety laws changed, and hopefully they’ll see that we’re serious.”
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