WASHINGTON (WSVN) — From South Florida to the nation’s capital, organizers are gearing up for the March For Our Lives, with security being a top concern.
Washington, D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said his department is expecting record crowds to converge for the rally. He said they will be ready even if there’s a chance the weather will not cooperate.
“I would say that this city is probably in better shape to handle these types of events than any other city,” said Newsham.
Organizers are preparing for half a million people or more.
Among those making the trip are Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie and Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
Fernandez Rundle said she aims to urge Congress to pass critical gun safety legislation.
“It’s very appropriate that we should show solidarity as a community as prosecutors for responsible and smart gun ownership and possession of firearms,” she said.
Demonstrators won’t have to clear security checkpoints to participate, but precautions are being put into place, like clearing parked vehicles from streets to make room for the marchers.
“I think worrying about security is just like any other day. You worry about security when you go to school now, when you go into movie theaters and living your everyday life,” said Ally Wilkinson. “It’s something that I’ve talked to some of my friends about, and just talking to them and realizing that you go places, and you’re scared.”
Back in South Florida, where solidarity marches and rallies are being staged as well, student organizers from Miami Beach are preparing to do their part to help raise gun reform awareness.
“We want everybody to come with their signs, with their enthusiasm, to bring all their friends and family and just to gather and be united and to just really stand with Douglas and make a change and have our voices heard,” said student organizer Hannah Gelber.
Meanwhile, the Parkland survivors continued their cross-country tour promoting the march and their agenda. On Tuesday, they shared their message with an audience at Harvard University in Cambridge.
“The future is not to just vote on the side of human lives that are innocently taken from thousands of people every year,” said student David Hogg. “That’s OK because we will vote you out.”
“We see what’s going on here,” said student Cameron Kasky. “We see past this facade, that this is inevitable, and this is the price of freedom.”
“You can’t settle into that stew of thinking, ‘I could never change anything,'” said student Emma Gonzalez.
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