When would we realize the world in which we live in is turning into such a hateful place? When were we going to acknowledge the hate that is surrounding us, putting us in danger? Will there be battles between you and your neighbor? When were we going to realize the fear this war would put us in? Fear ranging from people being too scared to go into the city, or people being too scared to walk down town. Was it going to be after the first school shooting, or the second? What about the 142nd? There have been over 142 school shootings just in the past five years. While many can argue what the cause of that may be, that is not why I’m here to speak today. I’m here to speak out about those 17 individuals who lost their lives due to the school shooting. 17 lives. 17 people. 17 friends 17 brothers or sisters. 17 artists or doctors or soldiers or politicians. 17 people who aren’t going to see their families again, or get to see the summer sun. They won’t get to swim in the ocean, have holiday dinners, or even get to walk in their own shoes again. They are gone, but not forgotten. It is our job to stand up for what we believe in, in whatever you believe in, for the better good of the crumbling society around us. We need to take these steps, to gather as a community, for we are living not only for us, but for those who lost their lives. There might be disagreements on what needs to happen, but there needs to be a change. Stoneman Douglass is one of the last schools that should ever deal with this type of loss. There needs to be change. And we, need to change. It’s up to us, it’s up to us to change the tomorrows those individuals will never see.