Thousands in Seattle join March For Our Lives

From the streets of Seattle to the stage, the message of the marchers was clear: Enact new gun control laws to keep schools safe.

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Thousands of people in Seattle started at Cal Anderson Park and marched to Seattle Center. Front and center were those most affected by school violence -- the young.

Fueled by youthful energy, the marchers wasted little time getting to Seattle Center, chanting their message to end gun violence all the way.

"Right now, right here," they chanted. "We refuse to live in fear."

That fear was felt acutely by graduates of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where the deadly Florida shooting that sparked a movement happened.

"It was really a hard time," said Dyamond Santiago, her voice breaking.

Santiago's brother is a ninth grader at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He survived that deadly February day.

"It's amazing that these kids are doing everything that they can to really stand up for their area, for their school and what they believe in." Santiago said.

But for some, the new push for gun control brings up feelings that only some lives truly matter.

"It really like hurts, deep, because they say it's all lives but why not our lives?" asked Emilio Gonzalez from Shoreline. "Why doesn't this happen when it's our lives being murdered? Maybe if we had started going against guns when it was just happening to us, we wouldn't have this problem right now."

That fact is not lost on the teenagers who helped organized this march.

"That is a big issue," said Alex Davidson of Gig Harbor, one of the student organizers. "But the fact of the matter is that we're doing it now. We are getting this message across now."

The organizers say Saturday’s march is just the beginning.

Cox Media Group