A sea of students, parents and teachers wearing red -- the color of East High School -- swept through the Colorado State Capitol building Thursday to demand action on gun violence in schools. The demonstration follows a shooting at East High that left two administrators badly injured Wednesday morning.
It was the second time this month students flocked to the Capitol in response to gun violence connected to East High. In early March, students from various Denver high schools walked out of class and marched to the Capitol after 16-year-old Luis Garcia died from a gunshot-related injury sustained near campus.
Thursday's protestors were well prepared. Several brought crumpled up cardboard signs that already saw use in the earlier protest. Many, like East High freshman Kyle Nguyen, went straight to the entrance of both the House and Senate chambers, waiting for lawmakers to exit.
"We're coming out here to help talk to representatives and the lawmakers here, and we're trying to ask them about the change that they'll make the policies to help protect us," Nguyen said.
While a majority of the students in attendance appeared to be from East High, some from other schools came to support them.
"Personally, I know people who go to East, and if this was to happen at my school, or any school, which it shouldn't, it would be a really big deal because we're young and shouldn't have to worry about safety at school by just trying to get an education," said Myleia Beckworth, a senior at DSST: Montview High School.
As sessions ended, lawmakers were surrounded by students demanding answers for why new gun control measures haven't made their way out of the legislature.
At one point, Rep. Marc Snyder (D-18) stood right outside the chamber doors while a dozen high school students pleaded with him to support an upcoming bill that would ban assault weapons.
"I have substantive issues with the assault weapons ban," said Snyder, who wants to see some amendments to the bill before supporting it.
A chorus of rebuttals erupted around him.
"How many kids have to die for you to not have those issues anymore," one student asked.
Snyder told the crowd he supports the four other bills Democratic lawmakers have introduced this session, including one to raise the legal age of purchase to 21 and another that would expand Colorado's red flag laws.
But some lawmakers' responses felt callous to the demonstrating students. East High sophomore Fiona MacDonald said one lawmaker told her not to bring emotions into debates about gun control.
"I feel like it's a real life situation that we're all suffering through," MacDonald said. "A school shooting is something that happened to me at my school, and I feel like it's unfair to not bring that up when it comes to this discussion."
MacDonald doesn't know if their return to the capitol for the second time in a month will affect how legislators will vote. Still, she has hope, because that's all she can really control.
"We're here to actually talk and make a difference and we may not be able to vote, but we have a voice that we'd like to share," she said.
The two school administrators injured in the shooting Wednesday are both in stable condition. One, dean Jerald Mason, was released from the hospital last night. His colleague, Eric Sinclair, underwent emergency surgery and is still recovering.
In response to the shooting, Denver Public Schools superintendent Alex Marrero said two armed officers will be at East High until the end of the school year; he also said armed officers will also be at every comprehensive high school in the district.
DPS has also called for a mental health day and canceled classes districtwide for Friday, March 23.
