East High School students march to Colorado State Capitol after gathering at memorial for Luis Garcia
Hundreds of students from East High School marched to the state Capitol on Friday morning. Before classes were set to begin, they gathered at the memorial for Luis Garcia that is just outside the front doors of the high school in downtown Denver.
Garcia, 16, died after he was taken off life support on Wednesday. He was shot on Feb. 13 near the school. A motive is still not clear. Two juveniles are in custody but have not been charged with his death.
We had some visitors today.
— Steve Fenberg (@SteveFenberg) March 3, 2023
Thank you to the MANY students, moms & advocates that came to the Capitol to make their voices heard.
Colorado Democrats are with you. This year, we're fighting for common sense legislation that will save lives.#coleg #copolitics pic.twitter.com/nZ2viVTddB
The shooting has reignited concerns about school safety and youth violence. Now students are taking their demands to the state Capitol to directly appeal to lawmakers for action.
Students carried signs that read, "Protect children not guns" and "I'm tired of living in fear."
"We were demanding change from our legislators before Luis was shot, before my classmate in September was shot and our leaders don't want to do anything about it," said Grant Cramer with Students Demand Action. "It's scary going to school everyday thinking I'm going to be the next person."
Anyone with information on Luis Garcia's murder should contact police or Denver Metro Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.