Student strangers become friends planning March For Our Lives Spokane

SPOKANE, Wash. — On Saturday, 500,000 people are expected to march through our nation’s capitol for the March For Our Lives. Their goal is to end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools. Throughout the country, smaller marches are expected to take place. Spokane is no exception.

Before the 20 student organizers of Spokane’s March For Our Lives came together, they were strangers. Upset with mass shooting after mass shooting, they found each other on Facebook after saying enough is enough.

“Gun violence has always been an issue that’s really moved me and I’ve always wanted to get involved,” said student organizer Caroline Avery of Lewis and Clark High School. “But for the longest time I thought I don’t know what I can do, I’m only a kid.”

Students like Caroline said they found the courage to use their voices after hearing from students at Parkland.

“I just felt like I needed to speak out,” said Rosie Zhou, a fellow student organizer and student at Ferris High School. “This is the time.”

They assembled a student council to plan the march through Riverfront Park, and smaller groups were formed to handle the many adult tasks.

“We had to get a permit, we had to organize all the logistical things – a sound system, we had to get a traffic route approved by the city,” explained Avery.

“We are expecting about over 1,000 people,” said Devon Maxfield, a junior at Shadle Park High School. “We’ve gotten a lot of responses on Facebook .”

As the event has grown, community leaders and groups like the ACLU have provided guidance.
Avery added, “I applied for a grant from Every Town for Gun Safety and we thankfully got it.”

But these organizers want you to know, they won’t stop Saturday. There are plans for meetings with local lawmakers and another march next month.

“We are already seeing change. Florida did not raise their age for buying firearms because of the parkland shooting, they raised it because of the survivors who demanded it,” explained Avery.
Zhou said, “hopefully, we can really be the change in Spokane.”

March For Our Lives Spokane starts at the Riverfront Park clock tower at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 24.

A rally is also planned from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the clock tower and will feature speeches and performances from students.

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