Cambridge High School Students Prevented From Finishing National Walkout Day Speech
  • 6 years ago
Two Cambridge High School students were delivering a speech on gun reform in Milton, Georgia, on March 14, when they were cut off by staff, who told them they were there for a “peaceful demonstration.”This footage shows the incident, which occurred during the nationwide school walkout to protest gun violence. Students immediately begin protesting when the staff member cuts the girls off, arguing that “a speech is peaceful.” Chants of “let her speak” can be heard.The uploader of the video, Grace Parzych, wrote: “Cambridge High School silences our voices after a peaceful protest saying this is supposed to be a peaceful demonstration, but apparently a speech isn’t peaceful… All the administration did was stop students from speaking about their beliefs. All the administration did was take away their First Amendment right.”Parzych clarified the two girls in the video are Liz Parzych and Leah Capomaccio. An image of the full speech the girls were reading before they were interrupted can be found here.According to a report from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the principal later said the girls had gone “off-script” and the school wanted to prevent them from politicizing what was meant to be a memorial to the students who had died in the Parkland, Florida shooting one month ago. Credit: Grace Parzych via Storyful