Students Protest Gun Violence With March On Restoration Plaza

CROWN HEIGHTS, NY — Jahmir Caton wasn't even a teenager yet when he lost his cousin.

Two years later, now in seventh grade, he is leading his peers' fight against gun violence — the very thing that claimed his relatives' life.

“When I heard the news about my cousin, I was so young, and it changed my life," Caton said at a rally Friday. "It changed my perspective of gun violence."

Caton joined hundreds of his sixth, seventh and eighth grade classmates and teachers marching from Launch Expeditionary Learning charter School to Restoration Plaza Friday, National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

Clad in bright orange protest t-shirts with signs that read "Stop Gun Violence," students made their way to the plaza for the school's 8th annual march.

"I would really like for policymakers to make stricter gun laws, and to increase the chance of Brooklyn being gun-free,” Caton said.

The young advocates channelled Caton's call into a petition, signed by their community and sent to elected officials, calling for make investments in community intervention programs and stricter gun control laws.

"This gathering represents a meaningful expression of our students' commitment to social change and community safety,” Launch's Director of Enrichment Tiayana Logan said in a statement.

The students were joined by school personnel and Save Our Streets Brooklyn, a Center for Justice Innovation program to end local gun violence through education and community intervention.

Friday's walkout is part of a larger curriculum that approaches gun violence from many different perspectives, according to school staff.

In science classes, students learn about gun violence from a public health perspective — and in social studies they learn about the 2nd Amendment. Students also learn about news, petitioning electeds and the national conversation about arming school staff.

The walkout allows students practice at making their voice heard and expressing themselves through collective action, a Launch representative said.

Caton was not alone bringing a personal perspective to the table — school representatives said a number of students present have lost relatives to gun violence.

With these young students' personal testimonies, the walkout also serves to inspire a larger movement to reduce gun violence, Logan said.

"Our annual Walkout to End Gun Violence undeniably provides compelling narratives and powerful images that underscore the importance of addressing gun violence in our communities,” Logan said.