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Fresno "March For Our Lives" Stressed Students, Community Members Against Gun Violence

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Organizers of Fresno's March for Our Lives lead a crowd around Fresno High School.
Laura Tsutsui

Marches took place around the nation on Saturday to honor the victims of last month’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The march in Fresno drew crowds from around the Central Valley to Fresno High School.

 

Yasmin Mendoza is the twenty-one-year old community college student who led the event. She says the march and their movement isn’t about party politics.

 

“I think that safety is a universal issue that affects everyone no matter your political party,” says Mendoza.

 

Standing in front of the Fresno High auditorium, Mendoza called out Tulare Congressman Devin Nunes for taking campaign contributions from the NRA. Nunes’ district includes areas of of Fresno.

 

Others speakers include students, a representative from Senator Kamala Harris’ office, and Nunes’ opponent in the upcoming election, Andrew Janz.

 

Students from University High School hold signs at the event.
Credit Laura Tsutsui / Valley Public Radio

Briana is a high school student who attended the march with her friends. They held homemade signs during the event.

 

“I'm in the eleventh grade from University High, and my sign says, ‘Students should be able to shoot for the stars without the fear of being shot.’”

 

After speeches, the group of about two thousand walked the perimeter of the high school, chanting and holding their signs high.

 

 

 

LT-JM-MarchFresno.mp3
Listen to a recap of the event here...

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Laura Tsutsui was a reporter and producer for Valley Public Radio. She joined the station in 2017 as a news intern, and later worked as a production assistant and weekend host. Laura covered local issues ranging from politics to housing, and produced the weekly news program Valley Edition. She left the station in November 2020.