School Shooting Survivors Continue to Demand Action

February 16, 2018

  • The community is still in mourning, but students at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, are taking to social media to express displeasure with their elected leaders and push for gun control reform. The morning after the massacre, Donald Trump tweeted: “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”

  • Source: twitter.com / Via: twitter.com

  • Student Morgan Williams responded to Trump: “Unless you are going to do something about gun control so no one else experiences what my school has, shut the fuck up.”

  • Source: twitter.com / Via: twitter.com

  • And, Sarah Chadwick, in a tweet she has since deleted, wrote: “I don’t want your condolences you fucking piece of shit, my friends and teachers were shot. Multiple of my fellow classmates are dead. Do something instead of sending prayers. Prayers won’t fix this. But Gun control will prevent it from happening again.” She later wrote: “About my tweet directed to president trump, I apologize for the profanity and harsh comment I made. I hope you know I’m a grieving 16-year-old girl who lost friends, teachers, and peers yesterday. I was and am still angry. I am apologizing for my comment but not for my anger.”

  • Source: twitter.com / Via: twitter.com

  • Chadwick has been one of the most outspoken students thus far, and she’s encouraging those around the country to use the hashtag #NEVERAGAIN in hopes that it might finally bring about change. Students are also responding to conservative commentator, Tomi Lahren, who wrote: “Can the Left let the families grieve for even 24 hours before they push their anti-gun and anti-gunowner agenda? My goodness. This isn’t about a gun it’s about another lunatic.”

  • Source: twitter.com / Via: twitter.com

  • To which a student, named Kyra, replied: “A gun has killed 17 of my fellow classmates. A gun has traumatized my friends. My entire school, traumatized from this tragedy. This could have been prevented. Please stfu tomi.”

  • Source: twitter.com / Via: twitter.com

  • Conservative YouTuber Mark Dice added in a since deleted tweet: “Someone want to tell the Generation Z kids that in the event of a school shooting, they should call 911 instead of posting video of it on Snapchat.” To which Sarah Chadwick had an apt response — “17 people are dead. 17 of my classmates. This is how you fucking respond? How much of a heartless dick do you have to be to tweet something like this. And btw as we were running for our lives we were calling 911 to the point that they told us not to anymore. Student David Hogg has gone viral for his impassioned plea to lawmakers on CNN. Watch —

  • Source: twitter.com / Via: twitter.com

  • Most of these tweets and clips have gone viral in the days since the shooting, and it’s resulted in students accruing over 10,000 followers each on Twitter. Students at nearby South Broward High School are standing in solidarity with Douglas High. They were in the streets Friday morning demanding a ban on assault rifles. Though it’s too soon to say what will come of all this, or if the activism coming out of South Florida will remain over time, right now Sarah Chadwick is emerging as one of the leaders of this movement. She’s asked to meet face-to-face with President Trump when he arrives in town to talk about gun control, and is being praised across Twitter by film and TV writers Stephanie Mickus and Gloria Calderon Kellett. What do you guys think? Will the Parkland students be able to use social media to bring about change in the world? Let us know in the comments below. For more stories, follow us on Twitter at @WhatsTrending.