Sonoma County students rally against gun violence as part of nationwide walkout

Nationwide demonstrations to call for stronger action against gun violence included more than 200 students from Sonoma County high schools and middle schools who convened in Old Courthouse Square in downtown Santa Rosa on Friday.

Lined up along Third Street, the students lifted signs for passing drivers with messages like “One child is worth more than all the guns on earth.” They shouted the slogan: “Books not bullets!”

Santa Rosa High School freshman Laura Wright, 15, said her belief the country needs tougher gun laws are drawn from personal experience. She said she knows a student who was shot and once lived in a home where the presence of guns made her feel unsafe.

“I know a lot of people affected by gun violence,” Wright said.

Students in Sonoma and Sebastopol also organized walkouts and rallies. They took place on National School Walkout, including 2,600 schools across the country and meant to honor of the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting.

In Santa Rosa, Vice Mayor Chris Rogers addressed the students briefly about noon, saying he was there to listen to the students. The group was organized by two high schoolers from different schools who met through social media groups focused on activism: Ali Gershik, 16, a Sonoma Academy sophomore, and Maris Maslow-Shields, 15, a Santa Rosa High School freshman.

“We’re fighting for stricter gun laws and less gun violence,” Maslow-Shields said. “People are saying nothing is changing...It is changing, it’s getting worse.”

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 707-521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.