>>> IT WAS ONE YEAR AGO TODAY THAT 17 YOUNG HIVES WERELIVES WE
THE SESNSELESS SHOOTING IN
PARKLAND, FLORIDA, WHICH LEFT A
NATION SHAKEN.
NATION SHAKEN. SINCE THEN, YOUNG PEOPLE ARE
STILL DIEING FROM GUN VIOLENCE.
IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS, NEARLY
1200 TEENS AND KIDS ACROSS THE
U.S. HAVE DIED DUE TO HOMICIDES,
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ACCIDENTAL
SHOOTINGS.
SHOOTINGS. THE TRACE, DEDICATED TO SHINE
BEING A LIGHT ON GUN VIOLENCE.
WE HIGHLIGHT THEIR WORK EVERY
WEEK HERE.
WEEK HERE. THEY ASSEMBLED A TEAM OF 200
STUDENT JOURNALISTS TO RESEARCH
AND WRITE THE STORIES OF EVERY
SINGLE VICTIM.
SINGLE VICTIM. 18 YEARS OLD AND UNDER.
TO ENSURE THE PEOPLE BEHIND
THESE STATISTICS WOULD NOT BE
FORGOTTEN.
FORGOTTEN. JOINING ME IS OUR GUEST, THE
PARK LAND.ORG DIRECTOR AND
MANAGER EDITOR OF THE TRACE.
THESE STORIES ARE HEART
WRENCHING.
WRENCHING. THIS WEEK, TRATION AND THE MIAMI
HERALD A NEW LAUNCH SINCE
PARKLAND.
PARKLAND. HELP US UNDERSTAND AND WHAT DID
YOU LEARN?
YOU LEARN? >> SINCE PARKLAND CAME ABOUT,
BECAUSE AFTER THE SHOOTING LAST
YEAR, WE REALIZED THAT THE
NATIONAL GUN DEBATE HAD BEEN
CENTERING INGING AROUND YOUNG PE
AND THEIR VOICES.
WE FELT WE NEEDED TO MEET THAT
MOMENT.
MOMENT. YOUNG PEOPLE AT THE CENTER OF
THE MOVEMENT HAD REALLY CHIDED
THE PRESS FOR ONLY COVERING MASS
SHOOTINGS.
SHOOTINGS. AT THE TRACE, THAT’S SOMETHING
WE DO EVERY DAY.
MAKE SURE THEY KNOW THE FULL
SCOPE OF THE ISSUE.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE THOUGHT IT WAS
IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. >> WHY DO THAT?
WHY BRING IN TEENAGE REPORTERS
TO TELL THE STORY?
HOW HARD WAS THAT?
>> WE BROUGHT THEM IN BECAUSE
IT’S THEIR STORY TO TELL.
THERE’S NO GENERATION THAT’S HAD
TO CONTENT WITH THIS ISSUE THE
WAY TODAY’S YOUNG PEOPLE.
YOU ARE MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT
YOUR SAFETY AS YOU GO TO SCHOOL,
HANG OUT WITH FRIENDS.
IF YOU ARE A YOUNG PERSON WHO
GOES TO PUBLIC SCHOOL IN THIS
COUNTRY, IT’S LIKELY YOU HAD TO
PRACTICE FOR A LOCKDOWN, EVEN
WORSE, EXPERIENCE ONE, AN ACTUAL
ONE.
ONE. WE FELT LIKE IT WAS THEIR STORY
TO TEM AND THEIR PERSPECTIVE
WALLACE NEEDED.
WALLACE NEEDED. >> WAS THERE A STORY THAT YOU
NEEDED TO TELL THAT STUCK OUT TO
YOU?
YOU? MORE TRAGIC THAN THE ONE BEFORE,
BUT ONE THAT STICKINGS WITHS WIT
>> A YOUNG MAN IN PENNSYLVANIA
WHO HAD RUN AWAY, HAD BEEN
ESTRANGED FROM HIS FATHER WHO
WAS A FIRE CHIEF IN THE TOWN.
HIS FATHER WAS RESPONDING TO A
CALL OF A HOMICIDE AND HE GOT
THERE.
THERE. IT WAS HIS SON.
HIS SON WHO HE HADN’T SEEN IN
TWO MONTHS.
TWO MONTHS. IT JUST REMINDS US THESE KIDS
WHO HAVE DIED EVERY DAY SINCE
PARKLAND, THEY WERE LOVED.
THEY HAD FULL COMPLEXION LIVES
AND THEY WERE KNOCKED DOWN TOO
SOON.
SOON. >> HOW MUCH HAS THAT CHANGED THE
DEBATE AND GUN VIOLENCE?
I MEAN, THOSE PORK CLAINDS, I
SEE THEM ALL THE TIME OUT THERE
FIGHTING, FIGHTING, FIGHTING.
>> YOU KNOW, AFTER THE SHOOTING,
WE DID AN ANALYSIS OF HOW
PARKLAND SORT OF CHANGED THE
CONVERSATION.
CONVERSATION. THIS YOUNG ACTIVIST AT THE
CENTER OF THE DEBATE WERE ABLE
TO SUSTAIN THE PARKLAND SHOOTING
IN THE NEWS AND KEPT IT A LIVE
IN MANY OF OUR MINDS MORE SO
THAN OTHER SHOOTINGS.
THEY KEPT THE STORY A LIVE.
KEPT IT FOCUSED ON THE YOUNG
VICTIM
VICTIM VICTIMS S
VICTIMS S VICTIMS SS
VICTIMS SS VICTIMSS.
VICTIMSS. THEY MADE SURE PEOPLE WERE
AWARE.
AWARE. >> GOING THROUGH THE NUMBERS, MY
MIND IS BLOWN THAT MORE HASN’T
BEEN DONE.
BEEN DONE. THEY FIND 55% OF AMERICANS WANT
TOUGHER GUN LAWS.
ONLY 10% SAY THE U.S. SHOULD
MAKE IT EASIER TO BUY GUNS.
WE’RE STARTING TO SEE SMIDGES OF
CHANGINGS IN CONGRESS.
THERE WAS A FIRST HEARING FOR
GUN VIOLENCE JUST LAST WEEK.
THE FIRST SINCE 2007.
WHY IS IT LAWMAKERS HAVE LAGGED
SO FAR BEHIND WHEN YOU COMPARE
THAT TO PUBLIC OPINION?
.
. >> YOU KNOW, THAT’S UNCLEAR,
IT’S HARD TO SAY.
THE POLITICS WAS LESS IMPORTANT
THAN TELLING THE STORIES OF THE
YOUNG VICTIMINGS.
YOUNG VICTIMINGS. MADE SOME FOCUS OF WHAT THE
COUNTRY HAS LOST COLLECTIVELY BY
ALLOWING THIS CRISIS TO CONTINUE
AND MOVE FORWARD.
>> IT’S NOT ABOUT POLITIC IT IS,
IT’S ABOUT SEAT AND LIVES.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
ME.
ME. SINCE PARKLAND.ORG.