From left to right Emma Hunt, Kai Wilcox, Rosemary Rianosheck and Kate Hranko holds hands in a moment of silence after the names of the victims of the Parkland school shooting were read out during an anti-gun violence march in front of the Boulder County Courthouse on Friday. Students from Monarch, Shining Mountain, Watershed and New Vista participated in the march.
Paul Aiken, Daily Camera
Sylas Fox of Monarch High leads a portion of the anti-gun violence march on the Pearl Street Mall on Friday.
Paul Aiken, Boulder Daily Camera
From left to right, Sam Andrews, Dani Cooke, Kate Hranko and Althea Wilson chant slogans during an anti-gun violence march in Boulder on Friday, April 20, 2018. Students from Shining Mountain, Monarch and the Watershed School marched to the Boulder County Courthouse.
Dozens of students in Boulder-area schools walked out Friday, while most in the state stayed in class or participated in low-key, meaningful activities to mark the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre.
Instead of leaving classes during a national protest against gun violence, students at Columbine spent Friday doing community service work. The school has traditionally closed its doors on April 20, the day two students with firearms in 1999 walked inside and killed 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves.
About 500 students and activists rallied Thursday night near Columbine High, calling for tougher laws to end gun violence. The event marked the start of the Vote for Our Lives movement, which is pushing teens and 20-somethings to register and vote for candidates who back stricter gun-control measures.
Among those at Thursday night’s rally were students who survived the Feb. 14 massacre that left 17 people dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. That shooting began a national student movement aimed at ending gun violence and tightening restrictions on guns.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
10th grader Caitlyn Bedenbender 16, of Littleton with her sign as students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pittsburgh, Columbine as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Quin Coppedge 18, attending the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater with her mother Joni of Littleton. Quin is here because she lost someone to Violence. April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pittsburg, Columbine as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora walk from the Columbine Memorial to the school before the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pittsburg, Columbine as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora walk from the Columbine Memorial to the school before the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Quote from the Columbine Memorial before the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pittsburg, Columbine as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora walk from the Columbine Memorial to the school before the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Quote from the Columbine Memorial before the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pittsburg, Columbine as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora walk from the Columbine Memorial to the school before the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Kelsey Nickerson 17 and Kimberly Boettcher 17, survivors from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with their signs during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Father Michael Nicosia, Vicar for the Rocky Mountain Region of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion heads to the stage to speak with other religious leaders as students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pittsburgh, Columbine as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora rally at the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pittsburgh, Columbine as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Janet Sallee of Lakewood cheering in the crowd. She came with her children that are high school freshman. "I want to do everything I can change the gun laws," she said at the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pittsburgh, Columbine as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Carlitos Rodriguez speaks as a Parkland survivor with other students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pittsburgh, Columbine as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Noemi Onofre 9, of Lakewood listens to students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pittsburgh, Columbine as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Nia Arrington from Pittsburgh speaking as students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Columbine as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora attend the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Hana Rose Potter 13, 7th grader at Arts Immersion School is held by her mom Keziah Aaliyah. "I support people with mental issues getting help and not being able to get guns. IÕm also here to support the people that have died and those that have survived," she said, during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Lilly Wofsey 17, a senior from Golden HS performs her dance "Bird Set Free" during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Samuel Ayres a 16 year old junior at Bear Creek HS, a protester to the protest is backed off by volunteers after making remarks while Paula Reed, Columbine teacher and survivor was speaking during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Issac Slade of the Fray performs for students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pittsburgh, Columbine as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Rhonda Grindle carries a memorial cross for Cassie Bernall 17, as students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pittsburgh, Columbine as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Issac Slade of the Fray with his wife, Anna perform for students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pittsburgh, Columbine as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Bagpipes walk to the amphitheater before the candle light vigil with students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pittsburgh, Columbine as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Former Columbine High School principal Frank DeAngelis speaks before the candle light vigil during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
The crowd listens as former Columbine High School principal Frank DeAngelis speaks during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Candle bearers honor the 13 students that lost their lives at Columbine with students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pittsburg, Columbine as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Lindsay Bazz 31, a survivor of the Columbine shooting holds her light high as she stands with other survivors and students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pittsburg, as well as survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora during the Vote for Our Lives event at Clement Park Amphitheater April 19, 2018 Littleton, CO
Students from more than 2,700 schools and institutions across the country left their classes at 10 a.m. in each time zone Friday to remember the Columbine massacre. After walking out of class and observing a 13-second moment of silence for gun-violence victims, students lobbied to register voters and marched to the offices of local legislatures.
Some Denver Public Schools high schoolers had discussed a walkout and march to the state Capitol to mirror similar protests across the country, but that did not materialize, said district spokesman Will Jones.
Instead, students at Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy in Denver took part in a “Peace Walk” in Harvey Park, adjacent to the school, while a variety of on-campus activities were put on at the Denver School of the Arts.
Students from four high schools walked out of class in Boulder and marched to the Boulder County Courthouse, where they chanted: “Hey, hey, ho, ho! The NRA has got to go!” Watershed Waldorf School Junior Dani Cooke said the demonstrators were hoping to combat complacency about gun violence.
“In a place like Boulder, there are a lot of people who don’t recognize oppression or issues of social justice, like gun violence, because they haven’t directly touched our community as much as they have others,” Cooke told the Daily Camera.
Dudley Brown, the president of the Loveland-based National Association for Gun Rights, said the protesting students are seeking to destroy Second Amendment rights to bear arms.
“The main objective of these students is to ban firearms completely and confiscate the firearms of law-abiding Americans,” Brown said. “We will oppose them at every step.”
Organizers said an estimated 150,000 students protested Friday across the nation, including at least one school in each state, as they sought to sustain a wave of youth activism that had driven a larger round of walkouts March 14. Activists behind the earlier protest estimated it drew nearly 1 million students.
In many cities, it was common to see crowds of students clad in orange — the color used by hunters to signal “Don’t shoot” — rallying outside their schools and at public parks.
The walkouts drew counter-protesters in some areas, including about 30 at a rally outside New Hampshire’s statehouse. In Kansas, about 200 gun-rights supporters held their own demonstration outside the statehouse. Many carried signs and flags, and some brought holstered handguns.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a Republican candidate for governor, addressed the crowd and later criticized the walkout movement.
“Instead of walking out of class,” Kobach said later, “why don’t you stay in class and spend that half hour studying the Second Amendment? You might learn something.”
The Boulder Daily Camera and Associated Press contributed to this report.
