Latest news with #StudentsDemandAction
CBS News
14-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Students converge in Twin Cities to become gun violence prevention advocates
In the wake of a deadly attack on Minnesota lawmakers, more than 100 volunteers with Students Demand Action will be on the University of Minnesota's metro campus this week to learn all about the power of advocating for gun violence prevention in politics. On Monday morning, they had the chance to pick the brains of local leaders who are pushing for gun reform, including St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and DFL state Sen. Erin Maye Quade. Panelists say young people have the power and influence to make a difference in the growing issue. "I just am always of the belief that it shouldn't have to happen to you for it to matter to you," Maye Quade said. "It shouldn't have to come knocking at your door in the middle of the night. It shouldn't have to come to your campus. It shouldn't have to come to your school." One month ago, a gunman posed as a police officer and shot two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses. The alleged planned attack killed former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Investigators later recovered more than 50 guns from the suspect's property and vehicle. Andres Cubillos is a national trainer with Students Demand Action. "We as students have the energy, the ability, the know-how on actually getting involved. So getting students the tools that they need to get involved I think, especially at events like this, is really, really important," Cubillos said. Monday's panel, and the week that follows, is part of Everytown for Gun Safety's grassroots network. Students will also complete a capstone project in gun safety advocacy.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Gun safety group says Kentucky college student from Pa. lied about surviving high school shooting
Calvin Polachek, center, in jacket and tie, said he survived a mass shooting at his Pennsylvania high school during a gun safety rally in February at the Kentucky Capitol. The shooting never happened, according to organizers, the local school system and police. (Sarah Ladd/ Kentucky Lantern) Everytown for Gun Safety says a man who spoke at a February rally for gun safety it helped organize in Frankfort lied about his experience surviving a school shooting in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The event, which the Lantern and other media outlets covered, happened Feb. 12 in the Kentucky State Capitol. Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action hosted a variety of speakers who advocated against gun violence. One of the speakers, Calvin Polachek, said that when he was a high school student in Pennsylvania, he lost people in a school shooting, including claiming that he saw his best friend lying in a pool of blood. Polachek 'is not an active volunteer with Moms Demand Action or Students Demand Action, and we are deeply disappointed that someone would exploit the tragic, lived experience of many to use our platform to share a story that was not true,' Sarah Boland Heine, the senior director of communications for Everytown, said in a Wednesday statement. The Lantern reached out to Moms Demand Action, which is part of the Everytown gun safety group network, after receiving numerous messages from people who said they were classmates or relatives of Polachek and that the shooting never happened 'Calvin reached out to our Kentucky chapter, shamefully lied to our volunteers and shared a tragic story that we later learned was not true,' Heine said. 'This is an affront to the countless survivors of gun violence who show extraordinary courage every day by reliving their darkest moments in service of the fight to end our country's gun violence crisis. We are revisiting our guidance to our grassroots networks in an effort to ensure this never happens again.' Polachek did not immediately respond to Facebook and LinkedIn messages from the Lantern. Polachek was identified as a University of Louisville student at the rally. A UofL spokesperson said Wednesday that he is currently a graduate student. The Dallas School District, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, said in a Wednesday statement that it 'is aware of a video clip and accompanying article that appears to depict a former Dallas student speaking about a school shooting at Dallas in 2017.' 'Thankfully, that never happened,' the school said. 'The discussion on the clip about Dallas and school violence is not factually accurate.' The school district did not immediately return a voicemail from the Lantern. Meanwhile, the Dallas Township Police Department said the claims made that day at the rally are 'entirely false.' 'The widespread sharing of a fabricated tragedy is not only reckless, it is harmful,' the police department said in a news release. 'It fuels unnecessary fear, disrespects the experiences of real victims of school violence and misleads the public with a narrative that has no basis in truth.' This story may be updated.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Gun safety group says UofL student lied about surviving high school shooting
Calvin Polachek, center, in jacket and tie, said he survived a mass shooting at his Pennsylvania high school during a gun safety rally in February at the Kentucky Capitol. The shooting never happened, according to organizers, the local school system and police. (Sarah Ladd/ Kentucky Lantern) Everytown for Gun Safety says a man who spoke at a February rally for gun safety it helped organize in Frankfort lied about his experience surviving a school shooting. The event, which the Lantern and other media outlets covered, happened Feb. 12 in the Kentucky State Capitol. Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action hosted a variety of speakers who advocated against gun violence. One of the speakers, Calvin Polachek, said that when he was a high school student in Pennsylvania, he lost people in a school shooting, including claiming that he saw his best friend lying in a pool of blood. Polachek 'is not an active volunteer with Moms Demand Action or Students Demand Action, and we are deeply disappointed that someone would exploit the tragic, lived experience of many to use our platform to share a story that was not true,' Sarah Boland Heine, the senior director of communications for Everytown, said in a Wednesday statement. The Lantern reached out to Moms Demand Action, which is part of the Everytown gun safety group network, after receiving numerous messages from people who said they were classmates or relatives of Polachek and that the shooting never happened 'Calvin reached out to our Kentucky chapter, shamefully lied to our volunteers and shared a tragic story that we later learned was not true,' Heine said. 'This is an affront to the countless survivors of gun violence who show extraordinary courage every day by reliving their darkest moments in service of the fight to end our country's gun violence crisis. We are revisiting our guidance to our grassroots networks in an effort to ensure this never happens again.' Polachek did not immediately respond to Facebook and LinkedIn messages from the Lantern. Polachek was identified as a University of Louisville student at the rally. A UofL spokesperson said Wednesday that he is currently a graduate student. The Dallas School District, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, said in a Wednesday statement that it 'is aware of a video clip and accompanying article that appears to depict a former Dallas student speaking about a school shooting at Dallas in 2017.' 'Thankfully, that never happened,' the school said. 'The discussion on the clip about Dallas and school violence is not factually accurate.' The school district did not immediately return a voicemail from the Lantern. Meanwhile, the Dallas Township Police Department said the claims made that day at the rally are 'entirely false.' 'The widespread sharing of a fabricated tragedy is not only reckless, it is harmful,' the police department said in a news release. 'It fuels unnecessary fear, disrespects the experiences of real victims of school violence and misleads the public with a narrative that has no basis in truth.' This story may be updated.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Gun safety group says UofL student lied about surviving high school shooting
Calvin Polachek, center, in jacket and tie, said he survived a mass shooting at his Pennsylvania high school during a gun safety rally in February at the Kentucky Capitol. The shooting never happened, according to organizers, the local school system and police. (Sarah Ladd/ Kentucky Lantern) Everytown for Gun Safety says a man who spoke at a February rally for gun safety it helped organize in Frankfort lied about his experience surviving a school shooting. The event, which the Lantern and other media outlets covered, happened Feb. 12 in the Kentucky State Capitol. Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action hosted a variety of speakers who advocated against gun violence. One of the speakers, Calvin Polachek, said that when he was a high school student in Pennsylvania, he lost people in a school shooting, including claiming that he saw his best friend lying in a pool of blood. Polachek 'is not an active volunteer with Moms Demand Action or Students Demand Action, and we are deeply disappointed that someone would exploit the tragic, lived experience of many to use our platform to share a story that was not true,' Sarah Boland Heine, the senior director of communications for Everytown, said in a Wednesday statement. The Lantern reached out to Moms Demand Action, which is part of the Everytown gun safety group network, after receiving numerous messages from people who said they were classmates or relatives of Polachek and that the shooting never happened 'Calvin reached out to our Kentucky chapter, shamefully lied to our volunteers and shared a tragic story that we later learned was not true,' Heine said. 'This is an affront to the countless survivors of gun violence who show extraordinary courage every day by reliving their darkest moments in service of the fight to end our country's gun violence crisis. We are revisiting our guidance to our grassroots networks in an effort to ensure this never happens again.' Polachek did not immediately respond to Facebook and LinkedIn messages from the Lantern. Polachek was identified as a University of Louisville student at the rally. A UofL spokesperson said Wednesday that he is currently a graduate student. The Dallas School District, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, said in a Wednesday statement that it 'is aware of a video clip and accompanying article that appears to depict a former Dallas student speaking about a school shooting at Dallas in 2017.' 'Thankfully, that never happened,' the school said. 'The discussion on the clip about Dallas and school violence is not factually accurate.' The school district did not immediately return a voicemail from the Lantern. Meanwhile, the Dallas Township Police Department said the claims made that day at the rally are 'entirely false.' 'The widespread sharing of a fabricated tragedy is not only reckless, it is harmful,' the police department said in a news release. 'It fuels unnecessary fear, disrespects the experiences of real victims of school violence and misleads the public with a narrative that has no basis in truth.' This story may be updated.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Graduate's claims of school shooting at Dallas High School debunked
DALLAS, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A graduate of Dallas High School was seen in a video online falsely claiming he lost his brother and best friend in a school shooting in Dallas in 2017. While speaking at a Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action rally earlier this year in Frankfort, Kentucky, Calvin Polachek, a 2020 graduate of Dallas High School claimed he was a survivor of a deadly shooting that took place at the school. That shooting never happened. The February rally took place in the state capital where gun safety advocates demanded changes in Kentucky's gun laws. That video of Polachek aired on WDKY and appeared on their website. The story has since been removed. International student weighs in after student visa applications paused Once the video circulated, the school district released a statement confirming there was no shooting at the Dallas School District. The District is aware of a video clip and accompanying article that appears to depict a former Dallas student speaking about a school shooting at Dallas in that never discussion on the clip about Dallas and school violence is not factually District Solicitor is supporting an investigation and communication regarding the circulating clip. Dallas School District It is unclear how Polachek was selected to be a speaker at the event. We will have more on this story on later editions of 28/22 News. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
