Gallery • 23 Photos

Noah Raaum

Thousands of students gather in the parking lot of Saint Paul Central high school.

Dozens of Upper School students walked through the Huss doors of St. Paul Academy and Summit School at 10:30 a.m. in protest of gun control and promoting school safety. After carpooling to the campus of Saint Paul Central High School and gathering in a parking lot, the walk began as thousands of students crowded the streets carrying signs and megaphones, chanting (listen) as they made their way to the Minnesota State Capitol.

Sophomore Sydney Therien held a sign that said “Protect PEOPLE, NOT guns!!!”

“Gun control is what we need to focus on, and we want the legislature to hear that,” Therien said.

The hour-long walk consisted of sporadic sprinting, and seemingly unprovoked cheering and applause. Although every student protested in their own way, the message remained the same.

Senior Maya Shrestha was one of several students from SPA who communicated with other Saint Paul high schools to plan the walkout: “We want to show legislature and people within the Minnesota community that the students really care about these issues,” Shrestha said. “We’re not going to stop until something is actually being done.”

Police estimated that over 5,000 people participated in the protest.