1. Why are people marching?
As part of March For Our Lives, the local march and protest at Bo Diddley Plaza is one of 843 currently planned worldwide in support of the #NeverAgain movement, led by the high school students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Parkland, Florida. Over 500,000 marchers are expected in Washington, D.C., alone, according to the Washington Post.
2. Where will the march take place?
The Saturday march will begin from Bo Diddley Plaza at 1:30 p.m., said Heather Yu, a UF mathematics and microbiology freshman organizing the march. Participants will march down West University Avenue to the intersection of Northeast Archer Road, State Road 24, and West University Avenue. Marchers will then protest for about an hour before returning to Bo Diddley Plaza.
3. Who’s speaking?
Yu will welcome attendees at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Local politicians will speak, including Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe and UF political science junior Shreyas Amol Jethwani, who’s running for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives.
Also speaking are several Marjory Stoneman Douglas alumni and 11-year-old Aagneya Singh Banerjee, who organized a walkout at his school, Joseph Williams Elementary School, more than a week ago to advocate for gun reform.
4. What are the police department’s safety measures?
As of press time, GPD spokesperson Ben Tobias said police officers will not close any streets for the march, but that could change depending on the number of marchers. He’s expecting about 300 people to attend. Yu, however, expects about 1,000 marchers to attend. Tobias said the department may have undercover police officers and may call in officers scheduled to be off duty if they feel there is the need.
5. What food and entertainment will there be?
Yu, a march organizer, said no food vendors or food sponsors will be at the event. However, local restaurants, including Steamers in Bo Diddley Plaza, will be open.
Two local bands, “Michael Tamayo and Friends” and “The Rick Ryan Band,” will be performing throughout the day.
Contact Elliott Nasby at enasby@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter at @_ElohEl.
Contact Robert Lewis at rlewis@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter at @Lewis__Robert.
More than 800 marches for Saturday have been organized worldwide. This graphic shows the locations of the U.S. marches.
