'Enough is enough'
“San Bernardino County Health, San Bernardino, Calif. Dec., 2, 2015. 14 dead. Never again,” Coeur d’Alene High School junior Seth Romeo speaks into the microphone, held by somber Lake City High School sophomore Zoë O’Brien, during the March for Our Lives in McEuen Park on Saturday morning. DEVIN WEEKS/Press
Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations president Christie Wood addresses the crowd Saturday morning in the McEuen Park pavilion during Coeur d'Alene's March for Our Lives. At least 450 people turned out for the march, which was held in conjunction with about 850 "sibling" events worldwide. (DEVIN WEEKS/Press)
At least 450 people of all ages attended the March for Our Lives in downtown Coeur d'Alene despite 30-degree weather and icy cutting winds on Saturday. The crowd met in the McEuen Park pavilion to listen to speakers and share heartfelt moments before winding along the path to Independence Point and back. (DEVIN WEEKS/Press)
A March for Our Lives attendee holds a sign high into the air Saturday morning as speakers address the crowd before the march, which began and ended in McEuen Park. The event served as a gathering place for those who are outraged and upset with the high volume and frequency at which school and public shootings are taking place in America. One point of contention in this discussion is arming school teachers. (DEVIN WEEKS/Press)
A sea of people winds along the Centennial Trail from McEuen Park to Independence Point during the March for Our Lives in downtown Coeur d'Alene on Saturday. Many expressed their opinion about gun control, school shootings, supporting students and more during this "sibling" march that took place in conjunction with about 850 others around the world. The movement was started by surviving students of the Feb. 14, 2018 Parkland, Fla. shooting. (DEVIN WEEKS/Press)
COEUR d’ALENE — Sandy Hook. Red Lake. Umpqua Community College. Virginia Tech. Pulse Nightclub. Freeman High School. Las Vegas. Sutherland Springs Church. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Several students read these names Saturday morning before a large crowd in the McEuen Park pavilion. They included how many people were killed at each location.
At least 450 community members of all ages joined these students during the Coeur d'Alene March for Our Lives to say in a collective voice that this long list of places where human lives have been lost to gun violence needs to have an end.
"Enough is enough," they cried. "Never again."
"This is something really important to our generation because we don't want to go to school every day fearing for our lives," said Coeur d'Alene High School sophomore and march attendee Landyn Owens. "It's a place where we're supposed to learn, not be afraid we're going to get shot in the middle of the day."
She said it can be tough to be a teenager in North Idaho right now, given the current political climate.
"You see a lot of people around you all the time who are so for guns and against gun control," she said. "It's hard because you wonder if they care more about protecting their guns than they do about protecting their kids."
The march-goers assembled in the pavilion to participate in and show support for the March for Our Lives movement, which sparked close to 850 events worldwide. The march was started by students who survived the Feb. 14 Parkland, Fla., shooting.
These students, and many others, are fed up with the way things are and want to inspire change to make schools and public spaces safe places for all.
"I'm here to progress into the future with safer schools," said Coeur d’Alene High School sophomore Emily Romanowski, whose big sister, Ashley, helped organize the march. "People should be able to go somewhere and feel safe and not have to fear going to school. They should come home safe and alive.
"I'm hoping that people will see now the mistakes we're making and I hope to strive for a better future where everyone can be safe and equal," she said.
A sea of people wound along the path from the pavilion to Independence Point, sometimes letting out rousing rally cries as they fought through biting cold wind.
They held a variety of signs, among them were ones that read, "It's a red, white and blue problem," "Stand with the students," "Love over fear," "Ban sale of assault weapons" and many a March for Our Lives banner.
"We need some common sense gun regulation. This sign says it all," said Kathy McGrath of Coeur d'Alene, who held up a sign with information about drinking and driving regulation, highway fatalities that led to seat belt laws and the prayers that are commonly sent in response to school shootings.
"I don't believe in taking away all gun rights, I believe in common sense conversations," she said. "You'd be surprised how many 11- and 12-year-olds have no problem having common sense conversations."
Several speakers took the microphone, including Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations president Christie Wood and a teacher who survived the Freeman High School shooting.
At the close of the event, Lake City High School and Kootenai Bridge Academy senior Dakotah Andrews performed a heartrending original song.
"It shouldn't be anyone we know or knew," he sang as tears welled in many eyes. "Sometimes, goodbyes come out of the blue."
"Every shooting that happens, we're told it's too soon to talk about it," said attendee Susanne Reimann of Coeur d'Alene. "Can we start talking about it now?"
Info: www.marchforourlives.com