HOUSTON -- Tens of thousands of fired up students marched through the streets of downtown Houston Saturday as part of the March for Our Lives movement calling for gun control. They were joined by parents, politicians and other supporters.
"It shouldn’t have to be this way, said Kiyah Smith, a high school student. "This shouldn’t have to happen, but it needs to happen.
As Houston police chief Art Acevedo looked out at the crowd that gathered at Tranquility Park, he took a breathe and said, "By the time this is done, we’ll have about 10,000 out here." Acevedo and a team of HPD officers blocked off streets, watched the crowd from atop downtown buildings and patrolled the area around City Hall via horseback.
"You know this is what our country is about," Acevedo said of the first-ever March For Our Lives rally.
LIVE BLOG: Houston's March For Our Lives rally
The movement stemmed from the February 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. In the weeks since 17 people were killed, dozens of surviving students have advocated for stiffer gun regulation and heightened security measures at schools across the country.
Saturday morning's march was a nationwide effort, organized by high school students, to spark a conversation about change and gun control.
"This is a defining moment, for our city, for our state, for our country," said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. He addressed the crowd before the three-block march to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz's downtown Houston office space.
Turner and Acevedo joined hands with local organizers of the march, sending a message shared by mother Magda Ghobashy, "Enough is enough."
Thomas Engquist and his wife Carolyn, from Minnesota, are vacationing in Houston for the month of March.
Engquist is 83-years old and a former teacher.
"I can’t imagine what it's like for students today," he said.
"I hope that those that govern see that this movement is a real one, and it’s not going to go away any time soon," said Ghobashy. "And these young kids that are almost 18 will have the power to vote and the power to change things."
Cruz did not address the crowd directly or, as of publication of this article, through social media. Still, thousands of people chanted his name, demanding he fight for gun control or face being voted out of office.
There, outside the office building at 808 Travis Street, pro-gun activists stood by, quietly carrying assault rifles either in their hands, or strapped across their chests.
"We can protect our kids with guns," said Meagan Bates who is a mother of two girls. "People are saying that they’re bad and they’re harmful. I’ve been raised around guns my whole life."
With a rifle over her shoulder, Bates explained how she works to educate her two daughters about guns and how to safely handle them and when to use them.
Gun owner Wayne Mitchell says banning guns isn't the answer to stopping school shootings. "I agree, these kids need to be protected. Our courts are protected. Our airports are protected. Protect these kids."
As the nation waits to see if Congress will act, Mayor Turner announced a step forward in the City of Houston starting this coming week. Turner is forming a commission on gun violence and it will include students from area schools.