On Friday, September 5, about 40 high school students opted not to seek lunch on Park Street but instead marched to City Hall, where they gathered to demand greater safety in schools.
The Alameda students were part of a nationwide walkout organized by Students Demand Action in response to the killing of students at Annunciation School and Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota on August 27.
Carrying signs saying “Ban Assault Weapons Instead of Books” and “Protect Kids Not Guns,” the group heard speeches and chanted before expressing themselves in chalk on the ground of City Hall. Student leader Amelia Forder, carrying a bullhorn, said, “I don’t want to go to a school where I don’t think I’m safe…Thoughts and prayers are no longer enough.” Echoing that concern was Jay Boardman, who declared, “I don’t want to worry about my safety when I’m trying to learn.”
According to CNN, there have been 44 school shootings in 2025, a statistic displayed on a sign carried by a student on Friday…