They read the names of the victims. They observed a moment of silence. They marched down the streets. And they begged adults to do something to stop gun violence in their hallways.
In some schools, they prayed.
Across West Michigan and the state this morning, thousands of students participated in the National School Walkout, an event that united students at thousands of schools across the U.S.
It was just a month ago, on a late afternoon Valentine's Day, that the horror unfolded at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., when an ex-student walked into the building and began killing. In all, he shot 17 students and adults.
The walkout today was to protest gun violence and remember the Florida victims.
The national walkout was organized by the Women’s March Youth EMPOWER contingent to demand Congress pass legislation to keep students safe from gun violence in schools, on streets, in homes and at places of worship.
"Students and staff have the right to teach and learn in an environment free from the worry of being gunned down in their classrooms or on their way home from school," the web site for the walkout said. "Parents have the right to send their kids to school in the mornings and see them home alive at the end of the day.
Wednesday's walkout is the first of several national events planned between now and the anniversary of another deadly school shooting — the April 20, 1999, spree at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., that left 15 dead, including the shooters.
Photos: West Michigan Walkouts
On March 24, a March for Our Lives will take place in Washington, D.C., to demand that the lives and safety of students become a priority "and that we end this epidemic of mass school shootings."
Many marches are planned to coincide with the national march, including events in Detroit, Grosse Pointe, Keego Harbor, Rochester, Ann Arbor, Flint and Marine City.
Some groups are organizing bus loads of people to travel to D.C. for the national march. The Michigan Education Association, for instance, has three buses that will leave from the Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit areas.
Meanwhile, on April 20, another national walkout is planned to recognize the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting.
Here are Snapchats from around the West Michigan walkouts:
The social discussion about the West Michigan walkouts:
Detroit Free Press staff writers Aleanna Siacon, Brandon Patterson, Omar Abdel-Baqui, Allie Gross and Hasan Dudar contributed to this report.
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