Parkland survivors, student activists arrive in DC ahead of March For Our Lives demonstration
WASHINGTON - Students from around the country and from the school in Florida where 17 people were gunned down in February arrived in the nation's capital ahead of this weekend's March For Our Lives demonstration against gun violence.
Early Friday morning, buses carrying students and chaperones from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the Broward County Urban League in Florida pulled into D.C. Some students who arrived early gathered at EW Stokes Public Charter Elementary School in D.C. to make signs and posters for the march.
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The massive demonstration planned for Saturday was set in motion by the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman in Parkland, Florida. The massacre ended with 17 people dead, including 14 students and three faculty members.
Parkland survivors Sarah Chadwick and Delaney Tarr stopped by FOX 5 to talk about how their lives have changed since the shooting ad what they hope to accomplish at the march, which was spearheaded by students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
"Even if they try to dismiss us they won't be able to continue doing that because we're here, we're loud and we're marching on Washington," said Tarr. "It's going to be a lot harder to ignore us when we are presenting ourselves in such an intense way."
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After the shooting, Chadwick said she and other student activists met with lawmakers to discuss changes to gun laws. She said she was disappointed with the outcome of the meeting. "It was really heartbreaking because it shows our friends and teachers died - and we're here to try and make a change - and you're not even going to consider it," Chadwick said.
On Friday, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, students and lawmakers rallied for gun safety at the U.S. Capitol ahead of the weekend's demonstrations. More than 500,000 activists are expected at Saturday's March For Our Lives.