Students rally against gun violence at Midtown High School

In the wake of the Sept. 4 Apalachee High School shooting in Barrow County that killed four people and wounded nine, more than 1,600 Midtown High School students walked out of class to protest gun violence on Friday, Sept. 20.

The student-led protest was organized by the March for Our Lives club, which is part of a national organization that planned walk outs across the state of Georgia. Across the metro, around 30 schools participated.

An email sent to Midtown High School parents earlier this week said classes would be shortened to accommodate for the walk out, and the counseling team would be on hand to support students.

Wearing black, students spoke about each of the Apalachee victims and held a minute of silence for each one. Speakers laid out the statistics of gun violence, naming each victim of school shootings since 2018, and encouraging voting.

Midtown Principal Betsy Bockman said it was a beautiful, powerful event.

“There are moments in my career that stand out and make me love what I do, and today was one of those days. I was standing on the top of the bleachers so she could see everything. It was a sea of black. It was quiet and powerful,” said Bockman. “To see the students completely quiet and the six girls leading 1,700 people was just incredible.”

DeKalb County Schools estimates about 75 Druid Hills High School students participated, and at Decatur High School students were seen giving speeches on a megaphone and chanting. Part of a chant included, “Our blood is on your hands,” according to reporting by Decaturish .

The walk out coincided with the funeral of Christian Angulo, 14, the last of the Apalachee shooting victims to be buried. The other victims are Coach Richard Aspinwall, Cristina Irimie, and Mason Schermerhorn.

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