Silent march for peace

[Times photo: Stefanie Boyar]

Nearly 2,000 pairs of shoes, above, line the entrance to Tampa Children's Hospital at St. Joseph's on Thursday. Each pair of shoes represents one of the 1,979 victims of gun violence in Florida last year. One of the victims, Lauren Klingensmith, 11, of Tampa, left, leans on her mother, Connie Bales, after placing her shoes on the sidewalk. Lauren, who was shot in the head while she was walking to Egypt Lake Elementary School in September, has made nearly a full recovery. "It felt good to be here and see all the shoes and know that I survived," Lauren said. "I feel lucky." The shoes that were collected in Tampa will travel to Philadelphia for the Republican National Convention from July 31 to Aug. 3 and to Los Angeles for the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 14-17.