March for Our lives is a huge movement that has swept the nation in protest against gun violence. The Parkland school shooting at Stoneham Douglas High School, which left 17 people dead, caused an uproar in anti-gun petitions and led many to questions in regard to the second amendment. On March 24th the world took part in the global march to protest gun violence.
Boston was no exception to the protest and I was fortunate enough to act as press for the day. Throughout the day I met and interviewed a lot of interesting and passionate people. Some were more extreme than others and they definitely drew attention to themselves during the protests. The Boston rally drew in over 100,000 people and, as someone who is against guns, I couldn’t have been more proud. Although I was acting as the press that day and couldn’t have an opinion on the protests, internally it was heartwarming to see all of these people coming together to try to make the world a better place. The pro-gun demonstrations definitely made themselves known while at the Boston Common. From posters and signs to chants and shouting, the pro-gun demonstrators marched loud and proud for their second amendment right to bear arms.
Bicycle cops surrounded the demonstrators to keep the peace between the pro-gun and anti-gun groups. However, that didn’t stop the two groups from shouting profanities at one another. People cursed and called each other mean names, which goes against the purpose of the rally. It’s supposed to join people together to protest gun-violence for the safety of our nation and calling each other “fat bitches” doesn’t help the cause. As I mentioned earlier, I was press and had to interview both anti-gun and pro-gun demonstrators. Surprisingly, when I interviewed a man who supported guns, he mentioned he is a student at Boston University. He was one of the more vocal protestors at the rally and even called a woman a “cuck.” He said he supported the anti-gun demonstrators’ passion but disagreed with their view completely. When I had to reach over the bike cops to get my interviews, I could feel it start to get out of hand.
People pushed me to yell at my interview subjects. If I could explain the atmosphere of the rally in one word it would be tense. I could feel people’s pain and anger towards the NRA and second amendment defenders. Even the pro-gun people had so much anger towards the other side it was like arguing with a brick wall. When the rally began a student who lived in Parkland spoke up and it was so moving. The shakiness in her voice only confirmed the terror people feel about the country having easy access to guns. I wish I could’ve stayed longer for the rally because I’ve heard about how moving and inspiring it was.
However, being able to witness the chaos and the number of people pour into the Common was a sight I’m proud to say I have seen. I just hope the battle doesn’t end with this rally and we continue to strive for a safer country without guns.
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