Massive Billboards in New York’s Times Square Honor Florida School Shooting Victims

The 17 victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were commemorated in massive Times Square billboards.

The names of all 17 students and adults killed in the Valentine’s Day shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school were commemorated on huge signs in New York City‘s Time Square.

The signs, donated free of charge by digital sign company Big Sign Message and designed and idealized by Stoneman Douglas alumni, were on display in Times Square midnight Tuesday to midnight the following day.

Meant to serve as a reminder of the deadly shooting, the signs listed the names of each of the victims on a burgundy banner, along with 17 soaring eagles, the school’s mascot. The words “In loving memory of the 17 lives lost, from your alumni across the nation,” were on the bottom. The sign, nearly stretching the entire length of a skyscraper, was flanked by several other signs memorializing the victims.

“The politics involved makes me angry of course, but I haven’t gotten very involved in that besides signing petitions and donating. I just couldn’t move past the heartache. I couldn’t watch a video or read an article without crying. I’m a mother, and my heart hurt for their parents,” alum Stacey Goldman, who came up with the idea, told CNN. “I wanted to let the survivors and parents of the victims know that we are still thinking of their friends. And that we won’t forget them.”

“The whole point is to keep this in the forefront of our minds, emblazoned everywhere, leaving no choice but to make real changes,” alum Shane Fedderman, who designed the signs, said.

Since the shooting, many survivors have taken to speaking out about their experience and are using their new platform to call for a revaluation of gun control laws. Students have organized nationwide school walkouts, attended numerous rallies and peaceful protests, and urged lawmakers to enforce stricter gun laws to keep schools safe.