Newport Beach Students Will March For Our Lives 2018

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Thousands of people, including students, teachers and parents from across Orange County will participate in the OC March For Our Lives 2018 Saturday morning.

Students from Laguna Beach, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Trabuco Canyon, Ladera Ranch, Newport Beach, Los Alamitos, Santa Ana, Anaheim and Yorba Linda are working to plan the nonpartisan event.

Hundreds of thousands of people across the country are expected to participate in the March for Our Lives demonstrations this weekend. In the Orange County demonstrations are also planned in with large marches planned in Orange, Santa Ana, Irvine, Huntington Beach Laguna Beach and San Clemente.

A little more than a week ago, thousands of high school and middle school students in Orange County walked out of class as part of a nationwide effort to push lawmakers to come up with "common sense gun control" laws and to remember the victims of the tragic February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 people dead.

Organizers of the South Orange County event say the rally will begin at 10 a.m. at the San Clemente library, 242 Avenida Del Mar in San Clemente. The group plans for kids and families of March For Our Lives to take to the streets to demand that their lives and safety become a priority and that we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools today.

In major cities, Lyft has offered free rides for many participants, with a cap of $1.5 million in free rides to marches.

"We’ve partnered with the March For Our Lives organizers to ensure that our commitment of up to $1.5 million in free rides will have the most impact on their efforts — and yours," they said in the most recent Lyft blog. While cities such as San Diego, Los Angeles, and Sacramento are included, riders in smaller towns will need to pay their own way to arrive at marches in Orange County, including Laguna Beach, Orange, Irvine, Huntington Beach and Santa Ana.

In Irvine, organizers have planned to gather in front of Congresswoman Mimi Walter's offices on 3333 Michelson Drive.

"On Saturday, March 24th, the students, families and allies of March For Our Lives will take to the streets of Washington, DC, and hundreds of other communities to demand that their lives and safety become a priority," they said. "The collective voices of the March For Our Lives movement will be heard. While not everyone can make it to Washington, we in the 45th CD can mobilize in Irvine!" Register for that event here.

In Huntington Beach, organizers will gather at Lake Park/Huntington Beach City Hall located at 2000 Main Street. Join us as we march from Lake Park to Huntington Beach City Hall. Register tomarch in Huntington Beach here.

"March with us in Washington DC or march in your own community," San Clemente organizers said. "On March 24, the collective voices of the March For Our Lives movement will be heard."

They will wrap the demonstration with a gun violence prevention resource fair to help share information about signing petitions, registering to vote and learning about mental health care. Those are attending are encouraged to register to participate.

Send your March For Our Lives photos to your Orange County Patch News editor.

Photo: courtesy Margaret Wold-Sackey