"We're walking out to show that we have a voice. We can speak out for the right thing," 10th-grader Samya McMillan told Local 10 News. "Stop the violence and everything that is very unnecessary in today's society."
U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) supported the students' call for action. Months prior, Wilson was attacked by President Donald Trump after she attempted to protect the good name of the widow of fallen soldier Sgt. La David T. Johnson. She said these students are no different than the survivors from the Feb. 14 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting.
"We're moving right along with Parkland, listening to the children and how they're going to solve this inner-city gang, shooting, gun problem that we have," she said.
Kimson was an honor student who was inducted into the National Honor Society. He was adored by his fellow classmates.
"I got to bury my child — my only child," Kimson's mother, Dominique Green, said. "Parents be saying I had a good child. No, I really had an A1A student — an A1A student – it's just where I live at. That's all."
While the walkout trended on Twitter the day of the march, it did not receive the same coverage as the Parkland student activists. Mayor Philip Levine commended the students for their call to an end of gun violence.
We should all applaud these brave students who are standing up and speaking out for what's right. Stopping gun violence isn't just about our schools; it is taking lives and destroying families in our communities everyday. https://t.co/QpF72yvfzv
— Mayor Philip Levine (@MayorLevine) April 10, 2018
Mr. Aristide is the principal at Miami Northwestern. He said allowing students to walk out of the school raised safety concerns, but he did want to make sure the teens were given space to express how they're feeling. pic.twitter.com/iKsDjftxCm
— Nadege C. Green (@NadegeGreen) April 10, 2018
They also received support from the March for Our Lives movement.
Northwestern HS students walking out to protest gun violence.
Gun violence happens in their community everyday.
Their voices need to be heard and we need to amplify their courage. #NorthwesternWalkout
https://t.co/bUCtJmY54F— March For Our Lives (@AMarch4OurLives) April 10, 2018
Proud to be part of #NorthwesternWalkout. Our students are making sure their voices are heard. Keep using the hashtag. Keep sharing the videos. Keep sharing the articles. Keep saying Kimson Green and Rickey Dixon.
— Brittany (@brittanytwhite) April 10, 2018
This is only the beginning for many of the students. There are plans for other marches to address gun violence and break up gangs that threaten the safety of their community. Police are still investigating the shooting deaths of the victims and looking for possible suspects.
