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March for Our Lives Portland

March for Our Lives Portland (officially March for Our Lives Portland, OR)[1] was a protest held in Portland, Oregon, as part of March for Our Lives, a series of rallies and marches in Washington, D.C., and more than 800 cities across the world on March 24, 2018. Students organized the event, which included a march from the North Park Blocks to Pioneer Courthouse Square where a rally featured speakers, a performance by rock band Portugal. The Man, and a surprise appearance by rapper Black Thought of hip-hop band The Roots. The protest was the city's largest since the January 2017 Women's March on Portland; the Portland Police Bureau estimated a crowd size of 12,000.

March for Our Lives Portland
Protestors marching from the North Park Blocks to Pioneer Courthouse Square via Broadway
DateMarch 24, 2018 (2018-03-24)
LocationPortland, Oregon, U.S.
Also known asMarch for Our Lives Portland, OR
TypeProtest march
Organized by
  • Eliana Andrews
  • Alyssa Diaz
  • Zoe Dumm
  • Alexandria Goddard
  • Finn Jacobson
  • Calum Nguyen
  • Sophie Rupp
  • Ryan Tran
  • Kien Truong
  • Tyler White
  • Ellie Younger

Background

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March for Our Lives was a student-led demonstration in support of a tightening of U.S. gun control laws on March 24, 2018, in Washington, D.C., with more than 800 sibling events throughout the United States and around the world.[2][3][4] Student organizers from Never Again MSD planned the march in collaboration with the nonprofit organization Everytown for Gun Safety.[5] The event followed the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, which many media outlets described as a possible tipping point for gun control legislation.[6][7][8]

Protesters urged the introduction of universal background checks on gun sales, the raising of the federal minimum age for gun ownership and possession to 21, the closure of the gun show loophole, the restoration of the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, and a ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines in the U.S.[9] Turnout across the country was estimated at between 1.2 to 2 million people,[10][11][12] making it one of the largest protests in American history.[13]

Local organizers and planning

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Local student organizers included: Eliana Andrews; Alyssa Diaz;[14] Zoe Dumm; Alexandria Goddard;[15][16] Finn Jacobson; Calum Nguyen;[17] Sophie Rupp;[18] Ryan Tran; Kien Truong;[19] Tyler White;[20] and Ellie Younger.[21][22][23][24]

According to the Portland Police Bureau, organizers obtained proper permits for the demonstration.[25] The rally was scheduled to start at 10 am and end by 2 pm.[19][26] The Portland-based rock band Portugal. The Man contacted organizers and offered to help,[23][21][27] and practiced with a local choir prior to the concert.[28] On the event's Facebook page in the lead-up to the event, around 9,000 people indicated plans to attend,[19] and approximately 20,000 people had expressed interest in participating.[21][29]

The Portland Bureau of Transportation planned to close all lanes of West Burnside Street from Broadway to 9th Avenue, as well as Southwest Broadway from Burnside to Yamhill Street, from approximately 10:30 am to noon. The agency and event organizers also encouraged attendees and other downtown visitors to use public transit and to expect delays in the vicinity of the march route.[29][30] The MAX Light Rail stations Pioneer Square South and Pioneer Square North were temporarily closed, and several bus lines had detours for a few hours.[18] Online taxi firm Lyft offered march participants free rides in Portland and 49 other U.S. cities.[31][32]

The route of the march was decided upon by event organizers and police, and plans to have safety monitors present were made.[18]

Demonstration

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Demonstrators gathered at the North Park Blocks

Participants gathered at the North Park Blocks and marched to Pioneer Courthouse Square via Burnside and Broadway.[17][21][30] The rally began on time; protestors started marching at 10:30 am.[17] The march route was less than one-half mile (0.80 km) long and lasted approximately 90 minutes.[15][21][33]

At Pioneer Courthouse Square, organizers held a moment of silence and rang a bell 17 times to commemorate victims of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Starting around 11:30 am,[16] eight local students ranging in age from grades 8 to 12 delivered speeches and performed songs and poems advocating gun control and school safety.[15][33][34] They encouraged attendees to vote, remain politically active, and hold their politicians accountable.[15][16][35] KOIN described the students' speeches as "articulate, informed, engaging and captivating".[16]

Portugal. The Man performed "So American", "Feel It Still", and Oasis' "Don't Look Back in Anger", and gave a "rousing" performance of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are a-Changin'" with a choir of students from Vernon Elementary School.[16][17] Lead singer and guitarist John Gourley said March for Our Lives' mission is nonpartisan.[19] Rapper Black Thought of The Roots made an onstage surprise appearance with the band.[34]

 
Protestors at Pioneer Courthouse Square, the march route's end location

The protest was Portland's largest since the Women's March on Portland in January 2017,[19] with more than 10,000 participants.[36] The Portland Police Bureau's Traffic Division estimated 12,000 people attended.[17][25] Event organizers said there were between 20,000 and 25,000 demonstrators.[16] The Oregonian reported a crowd estimate of 12,000, and noted the presence of all age groups.[22] Willamette Week said "tens of thousands" of people were in attendance and described the crowd as "massive and diverse", consisting of "families, teachers, grandparents and groups of students of all ages".[15]

Counter-protestors, including members of Patriot Prayer,[33] were present but the event was peaceful.[17][19] Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer, U.S. representatives for Oregon's 1st and 3rd congressional districts, respectively, participated in the march.[16][19] Also in attendance were 15 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School alumni living in Portland and teachers from Umpqua Community College, where nine people were killed in a mass shooting in 2015.[34]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "March for Our Lives Portland, OR". Facebook. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  2. ^ Carlsen, Audrey; Patel, Jugal (March 22, 2018). "Across the United States". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  3. ^ Editorial (March 21, 2018). "Take assault-weapons ban to the people". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  4. ^ Langone, Alix (March 25, 2018). "These Photos Show How Big the March for Our Lives Crowds Were Across the Country". Time. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  5. ^ Cooper, Kelly-Leigh (February 18, 2018). "American teens demand 'Never Again'". BBC News. Archived from the original on February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  6. ^ Miller, Sarah (February 17, 2018). "'We will be the last mass shooting': Florida students want to be tipping point in gun debate". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  7. ^ Petrusich, Amanda; Peterson, Mark (March 24, 2018). "The Fearless, Outraged Young Protesters at the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C." The New Yorker. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  8. ^ Reilly, Katie (February 21, 2018). "Teachers Are Fighting for Gun Control After Parkland". Time. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  9. ^ Valentine, Claire (March 24, 2018). "Everything You Need to Know About the March for Our Lives". Paper. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  10. ^ "The odds that a gun will kill the average American may surprise you". Business Insider. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  11. ^ "More than 2 million joined March for Our Lives protests in 90 percent of U.S. voting districts". Newsweek. March 26, 2018. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  12. ^ "Yesterday's global roar for gun control". Axios.com. 25 March 2018. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  13. ^ Lopez, German (March 26, 2018). "It's official: March for Our Lives was one of the biggest youth protests since the Vietnam War". Vox. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  14. ^ Rush, Haley (March 23, 2018). "Students in Portland preparing for Saturday's March for Our Lives rally". KPTV. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  15. ^ a b c d e Herron, Elise (March 24, 2018). ""Enough Is Enough": Thousands of Teenagers March Through Downtown Portland, Demanding Gun Control and an End to School Shootings". Willamette Week. City of Roses Newspapers. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g "Portland 'March for Our Lives': Times are a-changing". KOIN. March 24, 2018. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  17. ^ a b c d e f "Thousands attend March for Our Lives rally in downtown Portland". KPTV. March 24, 2018. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  18. ^ a b c "Organizers make final preps for Portland March for Our Lives event". KATU. March 23, 2018. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g Sparling, Zane (March 24, 2018). "Promises of change made at 'March for Our Lives'". Portland Tribune. Pamplin Media Group. OCLC 46708462. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  20. ^ Roewe, Brian (March 30, 2018). "Catholic students 'ignited' to help organize local March for Our Lives". National Catholic Reporter. ISSN 0027-8939. Archived from the original on April 19, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  21. ^ a b c d e Campuzano, Eder (March 24, 2018). "March for Our Lives Portland: Thousands flood the streets as students demand stricter gun control". The Oregonian. Advance Publications. ISSN 8750-1317. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  22. ^ a b Campuzano, Eder (March 24, 2018). "March for Our Lives Portland: Students, attendees sound off". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  23. ^ a b "Watch: Portgual [sic]. The Man performs at Portland March for Our Lives". KGW. March 24, 2018. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  24. ^ Militare, Jessica; Hawkins, Khaliha; Kornfeld, Tess; Leach, Samantha; Gardner, Abby (March 24, 2018). "'We Have Had Enough': 37 Students on Why This March—And This Moment—Matters". Glamour. Condé Nast. ISSN 0017-0747. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  25. ^ a b Guevarra, Ericka Cruz (March 24, 2018). "Pacific Northwest Students Join Nationwide March For Our Lives". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  26. ^ "March for Our Lives events scheduled across Oregon and Southwest Washington". KATU. March 22, 2018. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  27. ^ Kisiel, Katherine (March 26, 2018). "'We're here to support the kids': Portugal. the Man plays Portland's March For Our Lives". KATU. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  28. ^ English, Joe (March 22, 2018). "Portland-based Portugal. the Man joins students for 'March for Our Lives' on Saturday". KATU. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  29. ^ a b Campuzano, Eder (March 23, 2018). "Portland March for Our Lives: What you need to know about the protest for gun reform". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  30. ^ a b Loose, Travis (23 March 2018). "March for Our Lives Rally Expects Thousands in Portland". Patch.com. Patch Media. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  31. ^ Moreno, Julie (March 21, 2018). "Lyft to offer free rides to 'March for Our Lives' attendees". KSAT-TV. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  32. ^ Weaver, Jennifer (March 21, 2018). "Lyft is offering free rides for March for Our Lives attendees across the nation". KUTV. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  33. ^ a b c Vaughan, Anamika (March 31, 2018). "March for Our Lives draws thousands of Portlanders". Daily Vanguard. Portland State University. Archived from the original on April 19, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  34. ^ a b c "Thousands take to Portland streets in March for Our Lives". KATU. March 24, 2018. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  35. ^ Hanson, Nate (March 24, 2018). "'We're coming for you': Students call out lawmakers during March for Our Lives speeches". KGW. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  36. ^ Wilson, Reid (March 26, 2018). "More than a million people participated in March for Our Lives protests". The Hill. ISSN 1521-1568. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
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