Interested in expressing your First Amendment rights? The “March for Our Lives” gun-control rally will be taking place this Sunday, on March 24. Organized by Florida survivors of the school shooting in Parkland, FL, this march aims to push Congress to enact legislation about gun control and to ask policy makers to respond to the number of increased shootings. Up to 500,000 attendees are to be expected, causing it to be one of the largest marches in Washington in recent years.
The March for Our Lives will begin at 12 p.m. on Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd Street NW and 12th Street NW in Washington D.C. According to a permit filed by the National Park Service, the march will include “guest and student speakers, musical performers and video tributes.” Specific speakers have yet to be announced, but multiple students from Stoneman Douglas High School will be speaking.
One student who has already made plans for this event is freshman Shannon Snape. “This march lets students be heard and take action instead of waiting for adults to do something for them, and I’m not going to miss a chance to speak up for an issue I care about. I know a lot of people who will be making signs and posters for the march,” Snape said.
Snape won’t be the only student attending, as this event is scheduled on a weekend. “I know a lot of people here that are going to go, including myself, because this march is on a weekend which is more accessible,” freshman Meena Zoks said.
The Metro will be seeing high ridership the day of the rally due to the large number of cherry blossom visitors. This large demonstration plus cherry blossom crowds means that Metro will be prohibiting bicycles, coolers and other large items; be sure to travel lightly, and don’t forget to bring your SmarTrip card.
Metro plans to run rush-hour service starting from 7 a.m. to approximately 6 p.m. Trains will be arriving every eight minutes in local areas and every two to four minutes in D.C. Make sure to plan your trip ahead of time as selected stations may become closed or be turned into “entrance only” or “exit only” stations due to crowding.
Multiple sister marches will be held as well at locations such as Philadelphia, Miami and even as far as London and Germany.
Christina Liu
Staff Writer
