Student-run rally carried an anti-gun theme
It was both sunny and dark in South Lyon on Friday.
The sun was real, warm and uplifting; the darkness a result of a threat of violence at South Lyon East High School.
In other words, it was a perfect day for the Columbine Remembrance and Gun Violence Awareness Rally that was organized by East students on the 19th anniversary of the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado.
Organized by seven East students, the rally unfolded under cloudless skies in the parking lot of South Lyon First Methodist Church, which is located just a few miles from where a South Lyon school administrator found a message written on a paper-towel dispenser.
The message, which was discovered on April 13, led to mass absenteeism at East on Friday as reportedly 800 of the school’s 1,100 students stayed home.
«The threat at our school shows that violence is possible, even in a small town like South Lyon,» said Will Ray, one of the rally’s catalysts. «It also shows how important events like this are to try to change the violent culture we live in.»
Sponsored by the Oakland-Macomb County Moms Demand Action organization, the rally featured speeches by three students, the church’s pastor, state representative Tim Greimel and a member of Moms Demand Action.
Stationed just east of the area where the event was held were two South Lyon patrol vehicles and five of the department’s officers.
East junior Gretchen Ascher said she helped orchestrate the rally just over a month ago to keep her generation’s voice strong when it came to gun violence and its ever-rising toll.
«After the walkouts in March (in remembrance of the recent mass shooting at a school in Parkland, Fla.), I thought it was important that we continue this message that gun violence is not acceptable,» she said. «We decided to hold it here, at a church, so that the public could come and get involved along with students.
«We want to encourage people to speak out. We strongly encouraging people our age to call and email their politicians, and start registering to vote.»
Ray said he is «very passionate» about the anti-violence theme.
«I want to do something to help create change, and I thought this would be a good way to do that,» he said.
Ascher delivered a powerful opening speech to the close to 100 people on hand, asserting that thoughts and prayers following school shootings are nice, but they’re not going to bring back the dead students.
«And thoughts and prayers are not going to heal the bullet wounds,» she said.
