“What do we want?” Austin Hahn, president of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Young Democrats, chanted to the crowd. “Gun control!” the crowd replied. “When do we want it?” Hahn returned, to which the crowd gathered on the lawn in front of Wilson Library shouted back, “NOW!”
Students, families and community members assembled on UNC’s campus, February 22 to protest gun violence and listen to speakers in the wake of the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Organized by the UNC Young Democrats, the rally had a table for information and offered materials for poster making and voter registration. The club also offered paper and art supplies to send cards to the families of the shooting victims.
“We are gathering together to support the anti-gun violence legislation brought forward by the Democratic Party,” organizers of the protest wrote on Facebook. “[We] hope to shift the conversation into one that is bipartisan and unified.”
In addition to a short blurb on the background of the event, the Facebook post included facts on North Carolina senators and their involvement with outside organizations. According to the post, North Carolina Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis have received $6,986,720 and $4,418,012 from the National Rifle Association, respectively, and are “prioritizing guns over lives.”
North Carolina House Representative David Price was one of four people who spoke at the rally, along with Hahn, Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger and a volunteer community member.
“We need to mobilize the community in order to influence federal government decisions,” Price said to the crowd. “The best thing you can do to contribute to this movement is get out there and vote.”
Hahn, now a senior, has been a member of UNC Young Democrats since he was a freshman and was a co-chair of the event with fellow UNC senior Shannon Taflinger.
“I really think that we can make a difference,” Hahn said. “Just seeing all these different-aged people come out here shows how active our community is.”
Among the audience members were journalists and cameramen from networks like ABC 11, The Daily Tar Heel and The News & Observer. A news helicopter also hovered above the protest.
One of the students in attendance was UNC freshman Julia Long, a member of the leadership board within the UNC Young Democrats. “I’m really happy with how the rally went, and how we had interest from students, activist groups and local politicians,” Long said.
The UNC Young Democrats are following the event with more protests on campus over the next two months. Other schools, like Duke University, and a combined group of students from Chapel Hill High School, East Chapel Hill High School and Carrboro High School are planning future rallies as well.
High schools across the nation have planned a 17-minute walkout to commemorate each of the 17 victims from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. The walkout will take place at 10:00 a.m. on March 14, and students in the Chapel Hill districts will not be punished for participating, according to Lincoln Center administrators.
