Hundreds of students walked out of class Friday morning in San Jose to send a message about gun violence and school safety in the wake of this week's mass shooting at a Texas elementary school.
The walkout also comes at the same time San Jose police added specialized patrol cars to watch over campuses for the rest of the school year.
"I did what I did because I'm tired," said Jennifer Ulloa Delatorre, one of the students who walked out of class at Willow Glen High School. "I'm tired of having to show up to school every day wondering if we're going to be next, if we're going to be a statistic add-on, if we're going to get thoughts and prayers sent out but no policy and action."
Those fears are a major reason the San Jose Police Department has rolled out "guardian cars." The department has a total of four guardian cars, which are staffed by officers working overtime shifts to patrol school neighborhoods.
"We are here to protect the community," said Vanessa Verceluz, one of the officers patrolling schools and nearby areas in a guardian car.
Police said they hope the patrols with guardian cars will help put children and parents at ease. The extra patrols also aim to rapidly eliminate any potential threat, according to police.
"I'm always ready. That's for sure," Verceluz said. "We're always ready."
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