Parkland Survivor David Hogg On Potential Guilty Plea: 'It's Horrific That Our Community Has To Continue Going Through This'
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Parkland survivors want justice, but also focus to stay on gun violence.
One of the leading voices to advocate for change has been David Hogg, who helped found March for Our Lives. He spoke with CBS 4 Friday afternoon from Harvard, where he's currently a student.
We asked Hogg, what he thinks of a potential plea deal coming next week.
"It's horrific that our community has to continue going through this. I have to have friends reaching out to me, you know, that should just all students right now, and just young people focused on growing our professional careers and everything like that, we continue to have to come back to this," Hogg said
While he's working to earn a degree and move on with life, he tells CBS4, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy continues to be a challenge for him and many of his colleagues.
"It's been incredibly hard for me, there is PTSD that my colleagues and myself have obviously the shooting, but the work that we did afterwards as well because the fact of the matter is, it shouldn't be on young people to, to be the leaders that we needed but so clearly have not had. We've heard repeatedly from older adults that told us when we were just teenagers that oh thank god, the kids are here, like I'm so glad that you guys are here, you can take care of it now. This needs to be a partnership we need older adults in this fight. We need young people in this fight. We need everyone in this fight.
Survivors want justice, but some also want this to be over with.
"What's next, right? Because we constantly feel like there are delays in everything that's happening here, and I know many of the people that I work with just want this to be over with, this chapter to be closed but at the same time they also want there to be accountability and justice brought here in the first place."
A guilty plea, is not the end of the conversation about school violence.
"Allowing instances like this to happen is a choice, our country can decide not to protect guns and not people, and we have a right as human beings and people that live within the United States to not be shot. We as a country can choose a different path."
