Burbankers of all ages plan to participate in the March For Our Lives along the Chandler Bikeway on Saturday morning, March 24, beginning at 9:00 a.m., according to organizer and Burbank resident Carly Gilmore.
The group will begin the march at the Mariposa Street crossing of the Chandler Bikeway and walk to the Buena Vista Street intersection and then return to Mariposa.
Upon the group’s return to the Mariposa side of the Bikeway, Gilmore will make some opening remarks. Special guests and speakers include former Burbank Mayor Marsha Ramos, Assemblymember Laura Friedman, State Senator Anthony Portantino and Miles Gilmore, a Burbank High School student and member of Burbank Youth and Government.
A voter registration drive and tables for Moms Demand Action and the Burbank Democratic Club are also planned.
“This march is a part of a national march initiated by the survivors of Stoneman Douglas to demand changes in hopes they will be the last victims of a mass school shooting,” commented Gilmore. “These changes we wish to demand are banning of assault rifles on the street, raising the gun age, making it harder to purchase a gun and to keep NRA money out of the government and policy making.”
“For me, I hope for this to be aided by these peaceful protests, showing the sheer number of people that demand this type of change – really showing it is the majority,” she added. “If the government is not doing something about the majority of voters wanting stricter gun regulation through peaceful protest, then it is exposing more of what is wrong with our democracy at the moment.”
Gilmore has lived in Burbank her entire life, except for the few years she attended Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, at which she studied psychology and human development. Gilmore is currently an Intervention Specialist for At-Risk Students at a Burbank elementary school.
“The understanding and safety of children mentally and physically has always been a top priority to me, and with the call to action from the Stoneman Douglas students, I felt more than sure that this was my time I had to step up and do something about these passionate feelings of mine,” she said.
“The overall message that is important to me is that we need to protect kids, not guns, and making these changes have been statistically proven to reduce mass shootings in other countries,” Gilmore commented. “I, as I’m sure as many others, am also personally marching against some of the policies that [President] Trump has proposed to put in place, such as arming teachers.”
Gilmore also pointed to an article in Psychology Today, citing many studies on the ways the simple presence of a gun can affect one’s thoughts and reactions.
Students at Burbank public schools demonstrated against gun violence and remembered the 17 victims of the recent Parkland, FL, mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for the National School Walk Out on March 14.
More information on the Burbank March For Our Lives event on March 24 can be found here. Many people are expected to demonstrate in downtown Los Angeles and cities throughout the United States. More information on the national event can be found here.
