What to Know
- An estimated 18,000 students are expected to take part in Boston's March for Our Lives event. Another 50,000 have expressed interest.
- The rally and march to Boston Common is part of many taking place across the country on Saturday. The main event is in Washington, D.C.
- March begins at 11 a.m. at Madison Park Technical Vocational High in Roxbury. Participants then travel to Boston Common for a 2 p.m. rally
Thousands are expected to pack Boston Common this weekend to march and rally for stricter gun laws in the United States.
The event, known as "March for Our Lives," is part of a national effort led by students who survived the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left seventeen students and staff members dead. The shooting has since spurred a national conversation on gun violence.
"I don’t want anybody to be able to feel what I felt that day," said Leslie Chiu, a student at Northeastern University.
A graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Chiu has helped organize the march in Boston with other students and teachers.
"It’s not just about Stoneman Douglas. It’s about every school, every movie theater, every park, every community," Chiu said. "It’s more than just Parkland."
Across the country, marches are planned in major cities on Saturday. While the main event will take place in Washington, Boston’s march is expected to be one of the largest. According to the group’s Facebook page, 18,000 have signed up to attend and another 50,000 have expressed interest.
U.S. & World
"Even though we can’t vote our voices are really resonating," said Vikiana Petit-Homme, a junior at Boston Latin Academy.
In the last few weeks, Petit-Homme said they have already been able to capture the attention of lawmakers with school walk-outs around the country. She expects march to further their efforts.
"We want them to care about our lives more than they care about guns," Petite-Homme explained.
Attendees will also include friends and relatives of Boston-area native Christine Loeber, who was one of the three women shot and killed by former US soldier Albert Wong when he took them hostage in a California veterans' center two weeks ago.
Saturday’s march will begin at 11 a.m. from Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in Roxbury. Participants will then travel to Boston Common, where a rally is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Boston Police will have extra resources in place. They have asked the public to peacefully demonstrate.
