High school students plan Milwaukee protest in response to Parkland mass shooting
A group of high school students on Tuesday demanded Wisconsin lawmakers take action on gun control. They say they were motivated after seeing student survivors speak-out in Parkland, Florida.
The press conference happened in front of Homestead High School which which has been the target of multiple unfounded threats.
The small group of students said they are helping coordinate Milwaukee's "March for our Lives" on March 24 and they are trying to get other kids involved.
Sophia Zhang, a Junior a Homestead High School, said she has closely followed the response to the February 14 mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School. She said she felt compelled to step forward.
"Kids are getting shot in school and places that they once considered safe. And it really seems to us that politicians don't care," Zhang said.
"I just heard about the Parkland students and everything that they were doing and I thought it was amazing because personally I always thought I just want something to change but I didn't know how because I'm such a young person," Zhang said.
The student-led announcement did not have a connection to the Mequon Thiensville School District which released a statement in response to a planned student walk-out on March 14.
The statement read in part: "Once the 17-minute protest is complete, students who chose to participate will be expected to return to their classroom and resume the school day. Failure to return to class in a timely manner will be considered a violation of school rules."
Also at the press conference, Marvell Reed - a sophomore at the Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education - weighed-in on ideas floated by President Donald Trump including arming some teachers.
"Can you picture walking into a classroom and seeing your teacher have a rifle or a pistol on her desk, his or her desk? How would you feel? I would feel terrified," Reed said.
"I was speaking to some of my teachers. They didn't seem very thrilled about the idea, mostly because they're teachers. They're not exactly trained to be carrying firearms in a classroom," Zhang said.
The Milwaukee "March for our Lives" is planned for March 24 at 10 a.m. starting from the Milwaukee County Courthouse.