Students hold walkout and protest in downtown Bend

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- High school students from several schools staged walkouts today to honor the victims of the Silver Rail incident while demanding increased protections and safety changes for students.

The demonstrations come as high schoolers directly confront threats of gun violence. KTVZ heard from local students an opportunity to speak out about safety concerns in their classrooms and communities.

Ilye Love, a senior at Deschutes River High School, spoke about the impact of the incident and the desire for improved safety measures. “We're trying to share that it's just such a horrifying thing. And that, I mean, it's just we need to stop. We need to be able to feel safe in our schools and in our community,” Love said.

Anthony Hadden, a senior at Bend Senior High, noted how the recent violence affected students. “Yeah, the events recently have really put it into focus because I never really imagined that this would happen in this community. But now that has happened, like there's no going back. And I kind of just see the effects it has on everybody. So it kind of it just makes me kind of sad, you know,” Hadden said.

The protests in Central Oregon follow similar demonstrations held across the state. Students in Lake Oswego and West Linn staged protests on the 22nd to voice similar concerns regarding student safety.

An additional student walkout is planned for tomorrow in Ashland.