Lyft offers free rides to March For Our Lives rallies
The deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, last month isn't fading from the public eye -- instead the students who survived the massacre are keeping the national conversation about gun violence and gun control going with rallies planned across the country later this month.
Large crowds are expected at the March 24 March For Our Lives rallies in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, so Lyft is offering free rides. The ride-hailing company's cofounders, John Zimmer and Logan Green, posted a letter on the rally organizer's Twitter Friday explaining why they support the students.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
In the letter, the cofounders said "there is something seriously wrong when the threat of gun violence is so frequent and real throughout our country." They praised the students for their "bravery and intelligence" and inspiring the company to "continue using our voice and platform to encourage civic participation."
A Lyft spokesperson said the ride-hailing app is working with the rally organizers and Everytown for Gun Safety -- another gun control advocacy group supporting the students' efforts.
Lyft didn't explain how to actually get the free ride, but said they will give more details closer to March 24.
Other companies are trying to get on the right side of the conversation about guns in America. Big stores that supply guns like Walmart, Dick's Sporting Goods, Fred Meyer, and L.L. Bean are implementing age restrictions on weapon sales.
The conversation may very well be shifting in the U.S. after Parkland. Google search data shows "gun control" searches surpassed "gun store" searches in nearly every state in the past week.
Companies like Square, Weebly, Ship Station, and Office Depot are taking a stand in a more subtle way compared to Lyft's free ride offer. These companies are helping with free services to power the high school's "MSD Strong" website where donations and #MSDStrong T-shirt purchases support the school, students, and their gun control advocacy.
Topics Activism Gun Control lyft
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
