“Anonymous,” a Marjory Stoneman Douglas School mass shooting survivor, was one of two students from the Parkland, Florida school at Saturday’s March for Our Lives rally in Toronto. The action was one of dozens held across North America in response to the massacre that left 17 students dead and has unleashed a movement Stateside the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the Vietnam War. Below is a lightly-edited transcription of her moving tribute to fellow students who died in the shooting.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am a Marjory Stoneman Douglas School mass shooting survivor. My friend Carmen Schentrup was not. Remember her name. Remember the 17. Today I come to you as Anonymous, because this is not my fight alone. It’s all of ours. I want to call this situation for what it is — a preventable mass murder. Blood was spilled in our classrooms for nothing. A mentally ill 19-year-old legally got an AR-15, a gun capable of shooting 45-60 rounds a minute. He murdered seventeen classmates, injured 17 more, and changed the lives of thousands forever. We will not go unheard. We want change, and we want it now. No more assault rifles, no more high-capacity magazines. We want background checks. We want safety not just in my high school but in every community, neighbourhood, church, club and concert.
“The Marjory Stoneman Douglas School Public Safety Act is a start, but this fight is far from over. This act is just a confirmation that change is possible. My high school shouldn’t feel like a prison. There’s so much more to be addressed, so let’s keep going. The longer we wait, the more lives we lose.
“There have been 7,000 children murdered by gun violence in the U.S. since 2010. We were too late for the Pulse night club, too late for Las Vegas, for Virginia Tech, for Sandy Hook, for Columbine. And for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High. For those of you who say we are too emotional – hell yeah. My friend was shot four times. Our prom dates became pall-bearers. Our friends were murdered in front of us, and our innocence has been taken. We are righteously angry but that is why our movement is still going.
“Some people say that stricter gun controls won’t change anything, because people would just break the law. But why do we have to make it easy for them? People say guns aren’t the issue. But there is no reason for anyone to own an AR-15. These assault weapons do not belong on the streets of the everyday world. They do not belong in my high school.
“We are the voices of tomorrow. We are the leaders of tomorrow. Take a look at the support that we have gathered here today. This is what community looks like. This is what strength looks like. Together, we can do anything.
“I know you won’t be voting in the American elections. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make a difference. You are out here because you care. Sign the petitions against violence. Speak up for what is right. Protest until you can’t protest anymore. Whatever you can do, do it, because together, we take one more step toward a safe future, we take one more step toward gun reform, we take one more step for those who no longer can. And we take one more step in the march for our lives.
“This is for the criminals who have taken from us, and this is for the politicians who have given us empty apologies, and this is for thousands of warriors created, and 17 lost.” Then she sang a song.
From a speech delivered by Louis March, march organizer and founder of Toronto’s Zero Gun Violence Movement.
“A lot of people think zero gun violence is a crazy concept. We already have zero gun violence in Toronto, but we only have it for certain communities, and certain people. So don’t tell me that it’s impossible.
“In Rosedale, you don’t have to worry about gun violence. In Rexdale, you have to worry about violence in some shape or form 24/7. Our political leaders think that talking about gun violence is political kryptonite. They think it’s too dangerous for them to handle. We have political leaders that are more concerned about filling potholes than about saving lives. We have a problem.
“We are going to seize this moment and we are going to challenge all young people that can vote to start taking a look at the candidates and ensuring that they will be voting for the ones that not only speak to them but listen to them.
“Today, you have seen some of the parents who have lost their children to gun violence. We can do better. When you look at the shootings that take place, there is an intervention point. If somebody had done something right it could have been prevented. Every shooting that we’ve seen in the city, there have been intervention points, whether it’s a smile, whether it’s extending a hand, whether it’s helping them at home or in the community, whether it’s employing them, it could have been prevented.
“The gun violence that we are seeing right now in Toronto is a by-product of what we didn’t do right yesterday. We put it in motion by denying, excluding, oppressing, discriminating against certain communities and certain people. If you do this to people, there is a consequence, there is a price that we have to pay. Children today are still saying that it is easier to get guns than it is to get jobs.
“The top 15 employers, including the city, will not hire anyone with a criminal record. What do you think these people are going to do?”
From an interview with Cynthia Galant, who started a Facebook group after Parkland shooting and helped organize Saturday’s Toronto march. She is 12 years old.
“After the shooting in Parkland, I saw Emma Gonzalez’s speech and I was really affected by it. I started thinking about it, and when I heard about the march happening in Washington, DC today, I wanted to go. We couldn’t so we decided to start our own here in Toronto. There are over 2,000 people here! Every month or two at my school we have a lock-down drill in case something like this (Stoneman) happens. It’s fine for safety, but the fact that we have to do it is a little unsettling.”
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