QHS student walkout aligns with national 17-minute observance demanding end to gun violence

One month after a tragic high school shooting took 17 lives in Parkland, Florida, more than 30 Quincy Junior-Senior High School students participated in a nationwide 17-minute walkout March 14. They left class to call for an end to gun violence and for an increase in both inclusiveness and kindness toward one another.

Carrying signs with poignant messages like “Spread love,” “Fear has no place in our school,” and “We are taking charge of our security,” student leaders held the peaceful protest under a covered walkway as a chilly, light snow and rain fell on the Main Street campus downtown.

“There have been 290 school shootings since the Columbine shooting in 1999,” Freshman TyAnna Farmer told the crowd. “That’s 438 people shot. And 297 of those people were children — children who had dreams, goals and bright futures ahead of them. But because we failed as a society to accept each other, kids like Nikolas Cruz were ignored and discarded.”

Farmer suggested Cruz, Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School accused shooter, had not received help that he needed for behavioral health issues.

“That created a pain so large and filtered by hate that he turned to violence,” she said. “And for that I am sorry. I’m sorry it was so easy. I’m sorry that we lost 17 amazing people in this world. I’m sorry this is what the world has come to. But I stand here today to make a change. I am young, I am informed, and I am educated. And now I’m pissed as hell. So let’s make a change.”

Freshman Tristan McMichael also addressed his classmates.

“We stand here today fighting for our safety and the safety of all students,” he said. “Sure, we can lock all the doors on the main hall leaving one unlocked for passage. Sure, we can close our campus. Sure, we can add metal detectors at entrances to our schools. Even with those precautions, we can still get shot.”

Holding a sign with messages on both front and back, McMichael talked about the value of the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms and questioned the need for civilians to own automatic weapons.

“Why do you need a gun this powerful to ‘hunt’ with?” he asked. “When you say ‘hunt,’ what are you hunting? Children? Teens? College students? In California alone, people under 21 can’t smoke, drink or enter the lottery. Yet, they can still get their hands on guns. This is sickening. How can we build school morals when we don’t feel safe to be at school? Don’t forget, we vote next. Change is now! We are change! We are the future!”

Fellow student Samantha Busselen, another ninth-grader, thanked the group for coming out to support other students who were staging similar protests in towns and cities across the country. She also talked about broader goals that are solidifying the national, student-led Change is Now movement.

“I am so glad to see so many new faces here today,” she said. “Change Is Now doesn’t only want to work to change gun laws, we also want to change schools. We want you all to go up to the student who doesn’t have someone at lunch, ask them to sit with you, smile at the kid in the hallway who isn’t smiling. I went to the school district’s safety meeting last night, along with several other students. Our questions will be answered; we have a right for them to be. I am so proud of all of you for being here today. Change isn’t coming, it’s already here.”

Congressional District 1 Candidate Marty Walters attended the demonstration at the request of the students. She applauded their activism and commitment to a cause about which they care deeply. Walters also encouraged the students to keep working toward changes they want to see in society, smiling as she said, “I may be lucky enough to work for you one day.”

At the conclusion of the event, which was safely overseen by QHS Principal Erin Mongiello and some of her staff, as well as representatives from the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office, all heads were bowed as the students called for a moment of silence to honor the lives lost at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Only the sound of the rain and nearby traffic could be heard.

As students began dispersing to return to class, one young man carrying his own protest sign in support of gun ownership quickly stepped up to Walters and a reporter, expressing his thanks for being able to share an opposition point of view before hurrying off down the hall where he and his classmates will continue working to increase mutual respect, tolerance and acceptance of one another.