Alameda Students Join Nationwide Protest Calling For Gun Control

ALAMEDA, CA -- Alameda students reportedly joined thousands of people across the country in walking out of their classrooms in a call for gun control. The protest comes after a Florida school shooting killed 17 people last week.

Alameda police reported students at Alameda High School, Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School and Encinal High School all walked out during the silent protest. The public was asked to use caution as they drove by the protest.

Alameda Unified School District spokeswoman Susan Davis said, "We support our students in speaking out" against gun violence. Davis said the school district coordinated with Alameda police and the high school's principal to make sure the students were safe as they marched through city streets near the school.

Alameda police spokesman Lt. Hosh Durani said there weren't any problems with the students who participated in the march because they cooperated with officers who conducted traffic control and monitored the march.

The protest comes after Nikolas Cruz, 19, allegedly opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Fourteen people were injured in the deadly shooting that startled the nation and prompted yet another debate about gun control.

Another walkout is planned for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting, at 10 a.m. in time zones across the United States. The event has a Change.org page, "National High School Walk-Out for Anti Gun Violence," and a goal of garnering 150,000 signatures on a petition. Students are asked to walk out of school, wear orange, and raise their voices online and in local communities.

According to the petition, "We are the students, we are the victims, we are change, fight gun violence now! High school students across the USA, the way to fight back is here. There has been too much complacency on the part of politicians when it comes to gun violence. The time to act is now. Public school shootings affect communities and especially teenagers."

--Bay City News and Patch writer Lisa Finn contributed to this report

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After Florida Shooting, Students Plan National School Walkout