‘We will not stand down.’ In Sarasota, March for Our Lives rally inspires generations

A nationwide rallying cry to end gun violence and deadly school shootings extended to all four corners of the country Saturday with millions — young students, adults and seniors alike— taking part in March for Our Lives demonstrations.

Count an impassioned group in Sarasota among them. Along Marina Jack Trail, hundreds gathered to hear music and emotional speeches, primarily from local high school and middle school students.

“This is the biggest demonstration I’ve ever seen in Sarasota,” said Gene Jones, a city resident since 1973 and president of Florida Veterans for Common Sense.

Added 75-year-old Patrick Feheley, a longtime Sarasota resident, “These young people have restored my faith in the possibility for change in this country.”

Slogans on handmade signs abounded along Bayfront Drive with horns continuously honking as motorists waved in support of the protestors. Assorted signs read: “Enough. Is your gun worth more than my child? Never again.”

The countless demonstrations spanning the nation stemmed from such shootings as the Valentine’s Day massacre of 17 students and staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. The reported shooter from that tragedy in South Florida, former student Nicholas Cruz, could face the death penalty.

While inroads have been made since that tragedy in Parkland, namely state legislators banning bump stocks and increasing the consent age for purchasing guns from 18-21, that is not nearly enough to appease protestors seeking meaningful gun reform.

Moreover, today’s teens are more than willing to courageously take on the National Rifle Association, the nation’s powerful gun lobby that contributes millions annually to elected officials.

“We need to vote for people who believe in common sense gun control and will actually do something about it,” said Sara White, a junior at Pine View School in Osprey. “This is not politics anymore. This is life or death. Our blood is on your hands. I don’t want to be next.”

“We want to ensure that the politicians that we elect have not been given a penny by the NRA,” said Jessie Sinitch, a 2016 Stoneman Douglas graduate and New College of Florida sophomore. “There’s work to be done, not by politicians but us, the people.”

Mackenzie Altman, a teacher at Sarasota Booker Middle, spoke for many when she implored students to make a difference at the polls.

“I don’t know about you, but I am sick of action-less words,” she said. “To the students who are here today, I beg you to make some noise. … To the politicians, I urge you to take heed. My students deserve better. My colleagues deserve better. My country deserves better. Do your job so I can do mine.”

For many in Saturday’s crowd, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines would be more of a step in the right direction.

“Ban assault weapons that have no functional purpose to anyone in society,” Sinitch said.

“I promise we will not stand down until something is done besides twisting a feeble lock on a door and raising the age limit and calling it a day,” added Gee Basilone, a Lakewood High sophomore.

While the NRA has expressed concerns about violating Second Amendment rights if gun reform comes to light, others disagree. Like Jones, who calls for a ban on assault and military weapons.

“We stand for the Second Amendment,” he said. “We stand for the Constitution and there’s nothing in the Second Amendment saying you can’t regulate firearms,” he said.

Added Julie Peck of Venice: “I think the right to have guns is not as important as our kids’ right to live.”

Amid talk of arming school personnel, some students admitted to being wary of having more guns on campus.

“That would only frighten us more,” said Alana Kelly, a Braden River High junior, adding that gun owners “can still have your toys if you’re a law-abiding citizen.”

Voting is how the young people and others can get their voices heard. Along those lines, volunteers from Sarasota Democrats had a table in the park for voter registration. The goal, according to volunteer Eugene Murphy, was to get voters to register at least seven friends.

“We need people to show up and show out; their physical support and not just the rhetoric,” member Garrett Murto said.

As mid-term congressional elections approach, some students were quick to remind the crowd that they would be old enough to vote in those November races.

“These young people could literally vote some of these NRA-supporting politicians out,” Feheley noted.

Like others, Kelly wholeheartedly believes that her young counterparts can make a difference on the gun reform issue: “In the coming years we will become a great part of the voting block and we cannot afford to let that go to waste.”

Alma Dasberg, a Sarasota Booker Middle eighth-grader, fired a warning shot, saying, “We are the students of this nation; the change. We don’t have much on this earth that we can save, but we can save each other.”

Reacting to Dasberg’s plea, the crowd chanted, “Vote! Vote! Vote!”

Marveling at the spirit of the enthusiastic students and people who came out in support, U.S. Army Airborne veteran Don Hallmark said, “There’s nothing you can do to stop a group of young people who want to change things. That’s the most powerful weapon today.”

This story was originally published March 24, 2018 at 6:15 PM with the headline "‘We will not stand down.’ In Sarasota, March for Our Lives rally inspires generations."