Sunday, March 11, 2018

W.S. students to join anti-gun walkout

Jessica Bauer Walker supports the student walkout
By Terra Harter
 and Ben Hauver
Bengal News West Reporters
A sense of tension is building as high school students in the West Side prepare to take a stance against gun violence.
They are among the young people across the country who are uniting as a show of solidarity as they prepare to walkout of their classrooms on March 14 for 17 minutes, one minute for each of the lives lost in the recent shooting in Parkland, Florida.
The student member of Buffalo’s Board of Education, Farhiya Diriye,  is planning to participate in the walkout at her own high school, Leonardo daVinci.
“We don’t want prayers,” Diriye said. “It’s not effective what we have going on right now.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on average seven people 19 years old and younger die every day from gun violence. In 2016, there was a total of 38,658 gun-related deaths in the United States.
“Study after study bears out the fact that more guns do not make us more safe,” said Paul McQuillen, upstate coordinator for New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. “There is no truth to the statement that a good guy with a gun is going to beat a bad guy with a gun.”
Last week, Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation that would lead to the training and arming of teachers across the state with the intent to prevent future shootings. The initiative includes a $400 million package aimed at various programs for the state's school system, including a mobile-crisis team and improved assistance for mental health.        
New York State is not considering similar legislation at this time.
In Buffalo schools, precautions being taken include on-campus practice for how to respond in the event of an active shooter situation.  

Jessica Bauer Walker expresses her support for the students:
 
 “My kids are young,” said Jessica Bauer Walker, executive director for The Community Health Worker Network of Buffalo. “Since they were in kindergarten they’ve been having simulated drills around school shootings, which is heartbreaking. Pretending someone is coming into school to shoot them can be traumatizing.”
Bauer Walker added that she has noticed a strong sense of activism on this issue from younger people. Diriye noticed this as well in her classmates at Leonardo daVinci.
"As students, we're asking for gun regulations instead of giving more guns to teachers," Diriye said. "More guns means more possibility for violence and I don't think you should fight fire with fire."
The Buffalo Board of Education is expected to release a set of protocols to guide faculty and administration in handling students who plan to participate in the March 14 walkout. Regardless of what the Board of Education decides, students on the West Side and across Buffalo and the nation are determined to have their voices heard.
“They plan to go outside and have a rally and have speeches and have a moment of silence for them (victims of the shooting in Parkland, Florida)," Diriye said, “to  recognize what happened and show the importance that it should never happen again.”





https://soundcloud.com/benjamin-hauver/walk-outmp3