March For Our Lives Rally Expects Thousands In Portland

PORTLAND, OR — More than 7,000 demonstrators — young and old alike — are expected to descend on downtown Portland Saturday for the national March for Our Lives rally, held in conjunction with numerous cities across the country.

The march and rally is the second national movement this month and comes just over one month and one week since the tragic school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 people dead and more than a dozen others wounded.

The March for Our Lives rally will hear a national coalition of students, school and city administrators, parents, and individuals — including some gun owners — call for an end to gun violence and better, perhaps smarter gun control laws to be enacted at the federal level.

Last week, on March 14, students across the nation and metro region conducted organized walkouts at their schools in order to stand silently for 17 minutes — or, as was the case at Hillsboro High School, speak for 17 minutes on the importance of enacting better gun control laws — in honor of the 17 people slain in Parkland Feb. 14.

The Saturday march in Portland will begin at North Park Blocks around 10:30 a.m. and head down Southwest Broadway Street to Pioneer Courthouse Square, ending right around 12 p.m.

At the march's conclusion, Portland band Portugal. The Man will reportedly play in support of the cause.

According to the Portland Bureau of Transportation, commuters through and visitors to downtown should plan their trips accordingly and expect some delays near the march route area, depending on the turnout. Taking public transit is encouraged.

All lanes on West Burnside Street will be closed from Southwest Broadway to Southwest Ninth Avenue from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., and all lanes on Southwest Broadway will be closed from West Burnside Street to Southwest Yamhill Street. Drivers should also expect some

Top image via Neal McNamara, Patch