March for Our Lives Portland

Protestors marching from theNorth Park Blocks toPioneer Courthouse Square viaBroadway
Date	March 24, 2018 (2018-03-24)
Location	Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Also known as	March for Our Lives Portland, OR
Type	Protest 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

March for Our Lives Portland (officiallyMarch for Our Lives Portland, OR)^[1] was a protest held inPortland, Oregon, as part ofMarch for Our Lives, a series of rallies and marches inWashington, D.C., and more than 800 cities across the world on March 24, 2018. Students organized the event, which included a march from theNorth Park Blocks toPioneer Courthouse Square where a rally featured speakers, a performance by rock bandPortugal. The Man, and a surprise appearance by rapperBlack Thought of hip-hop bandThe Roots. The protest was the city's largest since the January 2017Women's March on Portland; thePortland Police Bureau estimated a crowd size of 12,000.

March for Our Lives was astudent-leddemonstration in support of a tightening of U.S.gun control laws on March 24, 2018, inWashington, D.C., with more than 800 sibling events throughout the United States and around the world.^[2][3][4] Student organizers fromNever Again MSD planned the march in collaboration with thenonprofit organizationEverytown for Gun Safety.^[5] The event followed theStoneman Douglas High School shooting, which many media outlets described as a possibletipping point for gun control legislation.^[6][7][8]

Protesters urged the introduction ofuniversal background checks on gun sales, the raising of the federal minimum age for gun ownership and possession to 21, the closure of thegun show loophole, the restoration of the1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, and aban on the sale of high-capacity magazines in the U.S.^[9] Turnout across the country was estimated at between 1.2 and 2 million people,^[10][11][12] making it one of thelargest protests in American history.^[13]

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 thePortland 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 bandPortugal. 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'sFacebook 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]

ThePortland Bureau of Transportation planned to close all lanes of WestBurnside Street fromBroadway 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] TheMAX Light Rail stationsPioneer Square South and Pioneer Square North were temporarily closed, and several bus lines had detours for a few hours.^[18] Online taxi firmLyft 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]

Participants gathered at the North Park Blocks and marched toPioneer 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 amoment 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", andOasis' "Don't Look Back in Anger", and gave a "rousing" performance ofBob Dylan's "The Times They Are a-Changin'" with a choir of students from Vernon Elementary School.^[16][17] Lead singer and guitaristJohn Gourley said March for Our Lives' mission isnonpartisan.^[19] Rapper Black Thought of The Roots made an onstage surprise appearance with the band.^[34]

The protest was Portland's largest since theWomen'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 ofPatriot Prayer,^[33] were present but the event was peaceful.^[17][19]Suzanne Bonamici andEarl Blumenauer, U.S. representatives forOregon's 1st and3rd congressional districts, respectively, participated in the march.^[16][19] Also in attendance were 15Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School alumni living in Portland and teachers fromUmpqua Community College, wherenine people were killed in a mass shooting in 2015.^[34]

• List of March for Our Lives locations
• March for Science Portland (2017)

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMarch for Our Lives 24 March 2018 in Portland, Oregon.

• "March for Our Lives".The Portland Mercury. Archived fromthe original on 2019-08-27. Retrieved2018-03-27.
• "PDX area students will 'March For Our Lives' Saturday".iHeartRadio (iHeartMedia). March 23, 2018.
• "Photos: March for Our Lives 2018". KOIN. March 24, 2018.
• "Photos: Signs at Portland's March for Our Lives rally". KGW. March 24, 2018.
• "Portland March for Our Lives: live updates".The Oregonian. March 24, 2018.
• Portugal. The Man talks about joining Portland's March for Our Lives onYouTube viaThe Oregonian (March 24, 2018)
• Herron, Elise (March 25, 2018)."Check Out This Gallery of the Best Messages Teens Sent Lawmakers at Portland's March Against Gun Violence".Willamette Week.
• Blodgett, Elizabeth (March 27, 2018)."Voices of March for Our Lives: Tigard High School".ABC News – viaThe Paw (Tigard High School).

• 2018 in American politics
• 2018 in Portland, Oregon
• 2018 protests
• 2018 United States gun violence protests
• March 2018 in the United States
• Protest marches in the United States
• Protests in Portland, Oregon

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