Women’s March Youth – sponsored by the Women’s March, an anti-Trump organization with ties to radical anti-Semites such as Louis Farrakhan – tweeted its praise for students who broke through a locked gate at Mt. Diablo High School in Concord, California, to participate in the student walkout Wednesday.
“We thought gun control is a big issue in this country,” said one student, according to the Mercury News. “We don’t want our school to be the next one”:
The news report continued:
School principal Lorne Barbosa said he was not necessarily opposed to students participating in protests, but that after the student government decided not to do a walkout, the school was not expecting a march to leave campus. He said parents might not want students leaving campus.
The students who left walked immediately back when administrators said they would make calls to parents.
According to a statement from Mt. Diablo Unified School District Superintendent Nellie Meyer, the gate the students busted through is usually locked during school hours to prevent vehicles driving on the public street that runs through campus.
“These students, during the time of remembrance, chose to show their protest by breaking a gate in the street rather than walking to an open exit nearby,” Meyer said:
In preparation for the student walkout Wednesday, Women’s March Youth Empower designed a community organizing “Toolkit” intended to create a new generation of student activists who will register to vote and continue to support candidates who will promote progressive causes.
The group’s website states:
The Women’s March Youth EMPOWER Toolkit is an initiative of Women’s March Youth through a coalition with Peace First, Rise To Run, Teen Vogue, The Justice League NYC, The Gathering For Justice, and Rock The Vote. Women’s March EMPOWER upholds the unity principles of the Women’s March platform. Our goal is to provide young people with the tools needed to create high school and college chapters that guide students in making a positive impact in their communities. We believe that the single most powerful act we can do is prepare young people with the skills and commitments to take actions around causes that matter to them with courage, compassion and collaboration.
The Gathering for Justice is a 2016 recipient of the NAACP Chairman’s Award.
Rise to Run describes itself as “a movement mobilizing young progressive women to run for office.”
Rise to Run’s advisory board includes chairwoman Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action; Ilyse Hogue, president of abortion lobbying giant NARAL Pro-Choice America; Washington State Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D); Brittany Packnett, co-founder of Stay Woke and Campaign Zero; Brynne Craig, former national deputy director of state campaigns and political engagement for Hillary for America; Carmen Perez and Bob Bland, co-chairs of the Women’s March; transgender activist Sarah McBride, national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign; Natalie Montelongo, national field director at Voto Latino; Bakari Sellers, CNN political commentator; Symone Sanders, former national press secretary for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign; and current California lieutenant governor and gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom.
“Voting is how we build political power for ourselves and our communities to create change,” the Women’s March Youth EMPOWER states:
Black Lives Matter Chicago also tweeted its support of the student walkouts, as did New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the ACLU:
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