On March 24th, DA Hamburg stood in solidarity with the March for Our Lives movement in Washington, D.C. and around the world. It was a solemn event with many tears, commemorating the victims of the Parkland school shooting, only the most recent in a long series of gun violence in the USA. Several people spoke not only about this history of violence, but also about the change we as citizens united demand from our legislators. It is an honor to be a part of this inspirational movement led by young people in the US - we look forward to staying involved, and seeing more people join us!
Below you will find pictures and impressions from some DA members who attended.
It was invigorating to see a diverse group of Americans, accompanied by supporters from Germany and elsewhere, standing together in solidarity with the March for Our Lives events that took place in Washington, D.C. and around the world. We heard personal stories of gun violence in America from both Americans and Germans living in the U.S. The next step will be to continue this momentum into November, and help elect representatives who will legislate for gun control, such as reinstating the assault rifle ban, stricter background checks, longer waiting periods, and perhaps even -- as former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has recently written -- repealing the Second Amendment. The time is now!
- Al Herrara-Alcazar
Within the last year, I began to lose my faith in America. But with what’s happening right now, after yet another horrible tragedy, these young people & future voters, students like Emma Gonzalez & David Hogg, standing up, fighting for their lives and future and actually getting people all around the globe to stand with them, there is a bit of hope after all...
- Sam Geller
After crying for the better part of an hour listening to stories of sadness and loss that did not have to be, if only politicians had acted selflessly years ago to institute background checks on all gun purchases, one last speaker seemed to address me personally. "This past year seems like ten years!" he said, "I feel as if I´ve aged ten years." Exactly the way many of us feel, as our country is pushed backwards in time and held hostage to greed and self-interest. But on Saturday, at least we had each other, and the hope that change is possible.
- Maryann Schmunk
Thank you again to everyone who attended and helped make this peaceful protest so meaningful. We look forward to seeing you at future events, and are eager to hear your feedback and ideas: [email protected]
article by Marc Castagnera, pictures by Chesney McKinley-Severance & Maryann Schmunk