Press excluded from Spaulding walkout, but message still resonates

Walkout organizer David Suoth holds a sign fashioned by students in honor of the walkout and to commemorate the shooting at Columbine 19 years ago that killed 13. (Rochester Voice photo)

ROCHESER - Close to 300 students from Spaulding's total enrollment of about 1,500 walked out of class on Friday to rally in support of safe schools and tougher gun laws, especially a ban on "weapons of war" like automatic rifles.

The walkout and rally occurred around 10 a.m. and featured speeches by several students as well as 1st Congressional District candidate Maura Sullivan and gubernatorial candidate Molly Kelly, both Democrats; as well as Rochester Mayor Caroline McCarley.

The media was excluded from the rally, but was allowed to speak to one of its organizers at a scheduled press conference in front of the school at 1 p.m.

Student Council President David Suoth, an 18-year-old senior at the school, said not only was the event held to commemorate the 19^th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting, but also to send a message of empowerment to students that they "do have the opportunity to make a change and strive for something greater than themselves."

Suoth said the biggest change students were seeking now is the prohibition of automatic weapons like AK-47s, and bumpstocks which can be used to modify semi-automatic weaponry to automatic capability.

"Automatic weapons, weapons of war, don't have a place in our society," said Suoth, who organized the rally and walkout with Spaulding student Anna Carter and with advice from Spaulding administrators.

Suoth said the press was excluded from the rally because, "We wanted to regulate the press in terms of having the right message to be available. We didn't want the message to be skewed."

Suoth added that they didn't want students who weren't informed to talk to the press, adding they wanted to "maintain the message in its purity."

During the rally city clerks from Rochester and Wakefield were on hand to assist students who wanted to register to vote. At least 25 students signed up, Spaulding Deputy Principal Pam Martin said.

Suoth said the activism shown by students on Friday is a portent of things to come from today's youth.

"Get ready for the next generation to take over," he said. "We're not going to wait for them to listen to us; we're just going to go around them and take action."