Young protesters took to the streets of New York City on Saturday to protest gun violence and urge Congress to pass more stringent gun laws.
The demonstration was part of the NYC Youth Over Guns March, which started in Brooklyn and continued across the Brooklyn Bridge. Demonstrators also participated in a rally in Foley Square.
Aalayah Eastmond, a survivor of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., addressed the crowd of demonstrators Saturday. Other attendees included actresses Susan Sarandon and Julianne Moore.
No student should have to fear for their lives, but we all are those students @AalayahEastmond #YouthOverGuns #EnoughIsEnough #SolutionsNow #StonemanDouglas pic.twitter.com/c8wi00wahf
— Youth Over Guns (@YouthOverGuns) June 2, 2018
Julianne Moore and Susan Sarandon with some of our organizers. #YouthOverGuns #YouthOverGunsMarch pic.twitter.com/YTY3ySoKeM
— Youth Over Guns (@YouthOverGuns) June 2, 2018
“Gun violence extends beyond the pull of a trigger,” Ramon Contreras, the co-founder of the March, told WABC on Friday. “Some of the roots, it goes back to a lack of funding and lack of efforts towards our public school educational system and lack of funding toward local gun violence prevention groups who work on this issue for years now and work on the ground with students, and they are getting the funding and attention that they need.”
Today @MFOLNY joined many organizations at the NYC #YouthOverGuns March. This weekend, people all over the U.S. are taking a stand against gun violence. We won’t stop the fight! #MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/lh3Ja1iPI6
— March For Our Lives (@AMarch4OurLives) June 2, 2018
Videos show protesters chanting “No justice, no peace,” and “Stop the violence, save the children” as they marched.
“No justice, no peace!” Students are marching over the Brooklyn Bridge to take a stand against gun violence #tictocnews pic.twitter.com/SqDUdoWKCg
— TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) June 2, 2018
Demonstrators also rolled a casket over the Brooklyn Bridge during the protest.
Happening now !! pic.twitter.com/bwBssNlcSL
— Youth Over Guns (@YouthOverGuns) June 2, 2018
Demonstrators rolled a casket over the Brooklyn Bridge as part of #YouthOverGunsMarch. #1010WINS pic.twitter.com/qOcjgOkoc4
— Samantha Liebman (@SamiLiebman) June 2, 2018
Thousands are descending onto the Brooklyn Bridge as the Freedom Tower looms #SolutionsNow #YouthOverGuns #NeverAgain #EnoughIsEnough pic.twitter.com/rEfbL5tKJ0
— Kyle O’Leary (@tkocreative) June 2, 2018
The demonstration came one day after National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Those calling for an end to gun violence were encouraged to wear orange to raise awareness about the issue.
On Friday night, the Empire State Building was lit orange in honor of National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
Young people from across the country launched a movement to urge Congress to pass stricter gun laws following the shooting in Parkland that claimed the lives of 17 people.
Last month, 10 people were killed at a shooting at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas.
