A mere three days after a 19-year-old armed with an AR-15 killed 17 people at a school in Parkland, Florida, high school senior Emma Gonzalez urged students to call “BS” on the politicians and gun laws that have failed to prevent such shootings. Gonzalez and her classmates have galvanized youth across the country, uniting communities in the name of stricter gun control.
Here at Verde, we have reported on walkouts and marches, and even experienced an 86-minute lockdown inside our own classroom on March 29 as we finalized this magazine. Barricading the door and hiding under tables, we feared the worst.
“Here at Verde, we have reported on walkouts and marches, and even experienced an 86-minute lockdown inside our own classroom on March 29 as we finalized this magazine. Barricading the door and hiding under tables, we feared the worst.“
When a gunman attacks a community, sentences are left unfinished, stories untold and futures unfulfilled.
In this issue of Verde, the figurative but physical gunshot that pierces our magazine serves to convey just that — gun violence affects every part of life, and its consequences are inescapable. And while the lockdown that happened at Paly was caused by a hoax, it highlights that gun violence can happen anytime, anywhere. All stories and most advertisements in this issue are impacted by the bullet hole, and every time you flip a page, we encourage you to reflect on what’s missing. We realize that the hole might be jarring, but we believe such statements are necessary to confront disturbing realities.
To make the bullet hole possible, business managers Amira Garewal and Angela Liu made countless calls to advertisers, and all staffers agreed to an unusual interruption in their stories. But after discussing the concept as a staff, we agreed that making this point was worth disrupting the flow of the magazine. We are also grateful to Folger Graphics, our wonderful printers, for the technical support in making the hole possible.
After the Parkland shooting, our local student activists mobilized to fight for long-term change. In our cover package, staff writers Abby Cummings, Asia Gardias, Calvin Yan and Mara Smith highlight the efforts of this growing contingent, following student activists as they plan and execute events that propel the movement for gun control forward.
However, for many across the country, including some here at Paly, guns represent safety and freedom. Our cover package also seeks to elucidate the perspectives of these individuals. Staff writers Emma Donelly-Higgins, Lucia Amieva-Wang, Stephanie Lee and Tamar Sarig spoke to these members of the Paly community.
With youth at the forefront of this movement, we are reminded of our immense power to catalyze change — a fitting motif for our final issue as editors-in-chief.
“So as we sign off for the last time, we urge you to let your passion drive you and give people a piece of your mind, because life is transient and the world is in need of change.”
So as we sign off for the last time, we urge you to let your passion drive you and give people a piece of your mind, because life is transient and the world is in need of change.
Read more of our #enoughisenough cover stories
Up in arms: leaders of walkout hope to galvanize student body
Unloading Stereotypes: Students with guns speak on shootings
Palo Alto High School statistics and opinion on gun control