After teen’s death, Denver East High students walk out to advocate for gun legislation

Denver East High School students are walking out of class Friday morning to push for legislative action after a fellow student was shot and killed near the school on Feb. 13.

Luis Garcia, 16, was sitting in his car near East High, at East 17th Avenue and City Park Esplanade, on Feb. 13 when he was shot and critically injured. He died Wednesday after being hospitalized for more than two weeks.

Now, students are marching to the Colorado State Capitol to advocate for gun legislation and safer schools after multiple incidents have made students feel unsafe, East High’s student council said in an Instagram post.

After the walk, students and members of the national gun safety nonprofit Moms Demand Action will participate in the group’s annual Advocacy Day and speak to legislators on the issues they see.

The walk started just after 8 a.m., and students walked from the school to the Capitol on 16th Street, yelling chants like, “No more silence, end gun violence,” “Luis never again. Not one more. Not one more,” according to a post on East High’s Students Demand Action Instagram account.

The students wore red to support Luis’ family and gun safety measures.

Luis Garcia was in a car last week when he was shot near East High School in Denver. Two teens who were in another car were taken into custody later that afternoon, but neither suspect faces charges specifically related to the shooting. pic.twitter.com/BvZ9ZferxB

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) March 3, 2023

There will be speeches during the walk, including from Moms Demand Action’s founder, Shannon Watts, who said in a tweet she was supporting the students of East High.

The students participating in the walkout will march back to school at 10:30 a.m., and those who are participating in the advocacy day will stay at the Capitol longer to talk to legislators.