CLEARLAKE >> Over 50 Konocti Education Center (KEC) middle school and high school students spent their Friday at the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College in Clearlake as part of the National School Walkout, a protest to demand gun reform in the wake of ongoing gun violence and mass shootings.
The peaceful protest was led by 15-year-old Trinity Thomas, who said she was excited to see so many of her peers join her. Days prior she had told the Record-Bee she was the only one onboard to protest and did not believe many, if any, would join her. But the number of attendees grew throughout the day.
The minors weren’t alone, either. Across a road where the students congregated stood KEC Principle Melissa Lambert and school staff members. She said of the event, “At KEC, one of the most important features of our education is to instill critical thinking within our students, not just with regular coursework but also in activities we do on campus.” She explained that the high school runs a middle college, and students wanted to express that safety is important not only in grade schools but on college campuses as well. As the principle of the institution, she said it was important for her to implement recommendations of a safe walkout as presented by California Superintendent Tom Torlakson, saying “…I truly believe that it should be highlighted within our information with K-12 principles.”
Lambert added that students were encouraged to research their positions on the topic, with supporting evidence “to what it is they are announcing and to be very careful about their messaging.”
Thomas, wearing a bright orange sweatshirt — the staple color associated with gun violence awareness — and standing on a latter to better address the crowd, read the names of the 17 students fatally shot in Florida’s Stoneman Douglas High School in February. Followed by a moment of silence, the student shared her personal experience with gun violence, explaining how at the age of four she witnessed her father take his own life after holding her and her mother hostage while using a gun. She proceeded by asking students who had been affected by gun violence to raise their hands — an estimated 10 students raised their hands.
KEC students and others across the nation called for multiple measures on Friday including, raising the minimum age to purchase any gun to 21, ban assault weapons, bump stocks and high-capacity magazines, and demand universal background checks. Voting, however, was continuously reminded to be one of the most immediate ways to create change.
“The only thing that will make our voices heard is to vote them out. I encourage you to pre-register to vote if you are of age,” Thomas said as she pointed to a packet of registration forms, to which her grandmother Christine Hansom held and said she supported the students.
Another student speaker focused on the AR-15 style rifle, notorious for its deadly use in recent mass shootings including at Stoneman Douglas and Las Vegas. “[These] assault weapons [are] unnecessary for hunting and game, and protection. We need to prevent these from citizens’ control,” she explained.
Orange ribbons, also used to symbolize gun violence awareness, were handed out to students at the demonstration.
Thomas, who scheduled the protest to begin at 10 a.m., said she expected more students to join her during lunch time.
Over in Lakeport, Clear Lake High School students worked with the administration to hold a Moment of Silence on Friday — the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting. Lakeport Unified School District Superintendent April Leiferman said the assistant principal read a statement over the loudspeaker after the morning bulletin. “Just a simple acknowledgment as requested by the students,” she said.
Upper Lake High School, along with KEC, was found registered under the National School Walkout movement website (nationalschoolwalkout.net), where student leaders can sign up campuses and follow the Walkout Planning Guide to execute a successful demonstration and post-walkout political actions like contacting state legislature.
