Thousands of people marched in Tennessee cities to push for gun control and school safety as part of a national campaign sparked by the recent Florida school shooting.
According to reports, about 10,000 to 12,000 people gathered Saturday in downtown Nashville.
Photos: 'March For Our Lives' In Tennessee
Nashville Mayor David Briley urged everyone 18 and up to vote.
“Being here is not going to change it," Mayor Briley said. "Each and every one of you needs to be registered to vote.”
Abby Brafman (now a freshmen at Vanderbilt University) graduated just last year from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida where 17 lives were taken on February 14 in a school shooting. Brafman organized the march Saturday to say enough is enough.
“We as a nation have allowed fellow Americans to die in masses on American soil. How?” Brafman said during the march.
“One day I was sitting in my room, and I realized that a school shooting was my biggest fear," said 16-year-old sophomore Audrey Kote. "I saw a couple of signs that said 2020 voter. That makes me so excited that I get to vote, and I get to actually change things for America.”
One of the marchers, Heather Larkin Vogler, said she wants her daughter and other children to be safe, as participants spoke out against gun violence.
The 'March For Our Lives' event was planned in Public Square Park and began at 9 a.m. It featured about a mile march through downtown Nashville and concluded at 12:30 p.m. with a rally that included voter registration, children’s activities, food and music.
A group of about 50 Vanderbilt University students started planning the event five weeks ago. The effort started after Abby Brafman, a Vanderbilt Freshman and graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, posted on Facebook about her outrage after 17 students were killed at the school last month.
“It’s time for our generation to do something,” said GeGe Clements, a Vanderbilt student and one of the organizers.
“I think the way people are looking at it, it can really make a difference,” said Devon Haskell, another Vanderbilt Student who helped organize the march.
The march is part of a nationwide movement to calling for an end to gun violence and increased safety measures in schools. Organizers hope the message catches on in Nashville.
“Regardless of your views, we need to come together as a community and a country,” said Clements.
In Nashville, T-shirts were sold for $20 at Public Square Park to raise money for the cause. Some streets in downtown were closed during the event.
#March4OLNashvillepic.twitter.com/fcQbFG1pld
— Kimberly Davis (@NC5_KDavis) March 24, 2018
Other similar marches were also held in Clarksville Saturday at 11 a.m. at McGregor Park and in Calvert City Kentucky at 1 p.m. at Memorial Park.
In Memphis, about 1,500 people took to the streets in a march that went to the civil rights museum. Students led the way, yelling "enough is enough." The event included voter registration efforts.
In Chattanooga, at least 1,000 students and adults took part in a march that took them to the Hamilton County Courthouse.
