Parkland High School shooting survivors expected to attend H.B, Irvine events

Survivors of the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., plan to visit Orange County Saturday as part of the “March For Our Lives: Road to Change” tour.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students Emma Gonzalez, Cameron Kasky, David Hogg, Jaclyn Corin and others are expected at events in Huntington Beach and Irvine.

They have been traveling the country to encourage participation in the gun-violence debate, call for what they term common-sense gun legislation and promote voting.

This 30th stop on the tour follows a Thursday visit with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and related events Friday in L.A.

Briana Spainhour, a recent Marina High School graduate who founded the March For Our Lives chapter in Huntington Beach, said she coordinated the Orange County stop with Corin, who was junior class president at the Florida high school at the time of the Feb. 14 shooting.

The visit will consist of a community town hall meeting at 2 p.m. at the African Methodist Episcopal Church, 45 Tesla, Irvine, and a 6:45 p.m. rally and bonfire dubbed “Get Out the Vote,” at Tower 7 on the Huntington Beach city beach near Pier Plaza.

“The town hall is meant to allow different stakeholders in the community to share their perspective on the issue and how it affects them,” Spainhour said. “We encourage people who don’t necessarily know where they fall on this issue or don’t know much about the issue of gun violence at all to come and listen to what we have to say, listen to what the community has to say. They may find out this issue really isn’t all that divisive.”

The beach event is expected to feature speeches from Parkland students, a candlelight vigil to honor gun violence victims, a voter registration drive and a barbecue.

March For Our Lives Huntington Beach’s previous actions have included participation in the national walkout March 14 and voter-registration drives at area high schools prior to the June 5 primary.

“Besides that, many of our peers, including H.B. March For Our Lives student organizers, have been mobilized into working for congressional campaigns they believe in, registering other students to vote, and directly lobbying our local representatives for change in our community,” Spainhour said.

Though Spainhour and her peers have been calling local congressional representatives, she says that it has been a struggle with politicians who don’t always share their views on gun control.

“There has been a lack of open dialogue with many of the current representatives and incumbents,” she said. “We have continually engaged them, asking for meetings or inviting them to our events in the hopes they we could create that dialogue.”

However, she added, “Many of the candidates running for office, however, have shown particular interest in this issue and have kept a very open dialogue with us on this issue.”

Spainhour is pleased with her movement’s accomplishments.

“I believe we’ve seen an increase in social awareness and political understanding within our community,” she said. “People are beginning to realize that they do have a voice and that not everyone in Orange County thinks the same way.”

Scott Feinblatt is a Daily Pilot contributor.