CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (PIX11) -- Students walked out of class for hours at Launch Charter Middle School in Brooklyn on Wednesday, but it was for a cause that their teachers and administrators said was so worthy that the adults joined in.

It was a protest against gun violence, and while it had been planned weeks in advance, it ended up taking place just a few days after other young people from nearby neighborhoods were the victims of gun violence. In fact, many of the students who participated in the walkout said that they know the issue of gun violence firsthand.

Aaron Aviles, a seventh-grader who participated in the protest, said that one person was on his mind. "My friend who got shot a couple of months ago, a couple of weeks ago, actually, in the head," he said.

The march happened two days after Empress Davis, 11, and her cousin, Ruanna Brown, 9, were hit by stray bullets from two gunmen while the girls were at the Hilltop Playground. It's located on the same street as the school from which the students staged their walkout.

Londonfaire Powell-Gathers, another seventh-grader, said that the two girls who'd gotten shot and hurt through no fault of their own were part of her motivation for marching.

"It kind of hurts," she said, "because it's like what if I take my sister to the park, and I get shot out of nowhere?"

Brandi Robinson, the vice principal of Launch School, said that creative protest, like the walkout, is educational and empowering.

"I love that they're in a community where they're encouraged to speak up and out to issues that matter to them," Robinson said.

The school partnered with the anti-violence organization Save Our Streets, or S.O.S., for the protest. S.O.S. has been credited by the NYPD and city government for reducing gun violence generally over recent years.

However, over the last month or so, gun violence has spiked significantly in Central Brooklyn, where Launch School is located.

NYPD crime statistics show that in the 77th Precinct, shooting incidents are up more than 33% in the last four weeks, and the number of shooting victims is up more than 66%.

However, the Launch students said that by being visible and vocal where an increase in gun violence has occurred, they can make a difference.

"People should be listening to us," said Samantha Hatcher, one of the student protest organizers. "If they don't, they're just taking the lives of the innocent."

The march also happened three days after Jasai Guy, 15, was killed in Brownsville, Brooklyn by his 12-year-old cousin. The two had apparently been playing with a sawed-off shotgun, according to their families.

It's why student protesters said that their voices are so important. They said that by having young people speak out about gun violence, it can help prevent other young people from meeting tragedy, the way Guy had.