“March for our Lives” in Washington grabs attention of Front Royal residents

Of last weekend’s “March for our Lives in Washington, a Front Royal attendee – Michael Graham – said that you had to be there to understand the moment.

Those among the 800,000 included former town manager Graham who joined his daughter, Becky, in the demonstration. Also at the gathering was Cheryl Langlais, a certified massage therapist who lives on Virginia Avenue; Cheryl’s partner, Mark Schwenk of Berkley Springs, WV (who provided photographs for this article); and local activists Len Sherp and wife Luann Jacobs. All joined in the march because they deplore gun violence but fully support the Second Amendment to the Constitution.

Langlais spoke of the “eloquence of the kids;” Graham of the “positive atmosphere:” Sherp of the “peaceful and positive energy” emanating from the huge crowd, possibly one of the three or four largest gatherings in Washington’s history. Sherp and Jacobs, late starters, arrived about noon but found the70-mile drive unexpectedly easy. Langlais and Schwenk, too, had an easy trip but bagged a spot close to the Third Street stage around 6 a.m.

Meanwhile, over in Winchester, former Front Royal resident Sally Megeath joined a gathering of about 600, including a half dozen politicians, and spoke of a “sweet kind of energy” from what she called a “cross section … of all ages.” The speakers, she said, made a reasonable call for (gun) controls but not elimination of all weapons. “We (and they) were there to protect our kids,” she said.

Graham, a long time gun owner and feeling “sad and upset” by the increased wave of what he described as “the terrible gun violence in our country,” added, “I came away encouraged, surprised, and relieved.”

Sherp said he and his wife left with “a good feeling,” remarking positively on the single issue focus (gun control) by the many teenagers who addressed the demonstrators. The couple was near the back of the crowd (at 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue) but via satellite radio they heard every word. He said they didn’t realize until quite late that there were no adults, only kids, at the podium. They were “breathtaking in their lucidity and their passion,” Sherp said.  Langlais used one word to describe the speakers:  “Brilliant!”

Graham said he walked away thinking that “if we could get rid of the party politics of the extremes on both sides promoting the demonization of each other, it could reduce dramatically our inability to get along.”

He said the spirit of the event, at least in his hearing, was captured by an exchange between two men on opposite sides of the gun issue. In a moment of silence between speakers came a shout: “We need more gun training in our schools.”

Graham said the crowd around them went totally silent for about 10 seconds until one individual broke the tense atmosphere by responding, “Dude, you’re in the wrong group.” The shouter immediately yelled back: “Sorry, my bad.”

The crowd broke out in laughter.