Encore: March scheduled Saturday

COEUR d’ALENE — "The walkout was the beginning of everything," Coeur d'Alene High School senior Ashley Romanowski, 17, said Tuesday morning.

"No one event is going to fix everything," she said. "We have to show that we are going to continue to fight for what we believe in."

The conversation about gun violence and school safety will continue Saturday during the Coeur d'Alene March for Our Lives, starting at 10 a.m. at the pavilion in McEuen Park.

The local "sibling" march is taking place in conjunction with nearly 830 March for Our Lives events that will be happening around the world. The marches are being held as a platform for students and their families to demand that their lives and safety be prioritized and that gun violence and school shootings come to an end.

The movement was set in motion following the Feb. 14 shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that claimed the lives of 17 people.

"It's a national problem," said Suzanne Marshall of Coeur d'Alene, a co-organizer of the local march. "We feel Coeur d'Alene should take part in it because we care about students. We care about anybody who has been a victim of gun violence. Enough have died."

Romanowski, who is serving as the student organizer of the march, said this event will be held "so we can come together over something."

"There are different social groups, but I've noticed that a lot of people care about this and a lot of people want to see some change," she said.

Several presenters will speak following the march.

"It's going to be rather calm and serious and vigil-like," Marshall said, adding that 17 students will be dressed in white to commemorate those who died in Parkland.

Romanowski emphasized that the rally is open to everyone. She said she encourages people on all sides of the issue to attend.

"What's most important is we're not trying to make this an argument," she said. "We want to get the conversation started. That's something that tends to not happen when things like this happen. We hear about 'thoughts and prayers' and 'we'll talk about it later' ... We need to talk about it now."

Romanowski said especially here in North Idaho, "when most people hear 'gun control' or 'gun reform' or 'gun safety,' they stress and think we're taking their guns ... but as responsible gun owners, people need to take ownership of that and know that this is something that will benefit them as well.

"This is something they care about. They want to see guns in the right hands."

The League of Women Voters of Kootenai County, a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active government participation, will provide on-site voter registration during the event.

Organizers said they have been working with Coeur d'Alene Police to ensure the march is safe for everyone.

"Our top priorities are the safety of the people in Coeur d'Alene and their First Amendment rights to assemble and to free speech," said Coeur d'Alene Police Detective Jared Reneau. "We're going to make the arrangements to make sure that it remains peaceful."

Another related assembly is in the works on or around April 20, which marks the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting.

Romanowski and Marshall both said they hope to see a large turnout this weekend.

"It would be really cool to see the whole community come together to show they care about safety," Romanowski said.

Info: www.marchforourlives.com