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On Saturday, March 24, a national March for Our Lives event is happening, with the major march occurring in Washington D.C. at 10 a.m. Eastern and sister marches taking place around the country on the same day. One of those marches will be taking place in Chicago. Here’s everything you need to know about the March in Chicago, including what time it will start and other details.
The March for Our Lives Chicago events begins at 11 a.m. at Union Park on 1501 W. Randolph St. The rally should last about an hour. So far, 10,000 have RSVP’d on Facebook that they will attend, and 26,000 have indicated an interest in going. This gathering will include a rally and a march. Here is a map of where the march will be meeting:
Organizers waited until late to share the march route, due to safety issues concerning possible counter protesters that may block the route. According to the Chicago Tribune, the route will start at Union Park, then go east on Washington Boulevard to Racine Ave., then north on Racine to Randolph St., then west on Randolph back to Union Park.
The park is accessible by bus (77, X9, 9, X49, 49, 66), car, rideshare (Lyft is offering free rides), and train (blue, pink, or green lines.) To get the free Lyft ride, RSVP for the rally at marchforourlives.com/events or visit www.lyft.com/MFOL starting Saturday morning to get your free ride code. Enter the code into the Lyft app’s promos tab. CTA will be providing extra service on the green line.
According to the organizers: “We chose Union Park over other locations in Downtown Chicago not only for size and accessibility, but because it is essential for us to stand with all communities that have been affected by gun violence. Union Park is in a family-friendly community environment, emblematic of the different issues Chicago faces. We want our rally and march to be the most intersectional and wide-reaching event in gun reform history. Chicago Public Schools has also used Union Park as a rallying place to host some of their Chicago Youth Service Days and peace rally.”
If you don’t want to go to Union Park, you can also gather with fellow marchers in the suburbs. These locations include:
- Downers Grove North High School at 11 a.m. Click here for details.
- Elgin Main Library at 12 p.m. Click here for details.
- Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in Glen Ellyn at 10 a.m. Click here for details.
- Oswego High School at 11 am. Click here for details.
- Schaumburg Town Square at 9 a.m. Click here for details.
- Vernon Hills’ Hawthorn South Middle School at 11:30 a.m. Click here for details.