Follow Truthdig’s live blog of Saturday’s demonstrations.

After a gunman killed 17 students and faculty members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., last month, students from the high school rallied together to launch the #NeverAgain movement and to organize a nationwide protest demanding sensible gun control laws. According to the March for Our Lives website: “… the kids and families of March For Our Lives will 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.”

The event kicks off in Washington, D.C., at noon Saturday, and Truthdig will feature live updates from the field throughout the day.

More than 700 satellite marches are planned in cities nationwide. More information about satellite marches can be found here. The Washington Post reports that up to 500,000 people may attend the march in Washington, D.C.

“As the young men and women from Parkland, Florida, have been preparing for Saturday’s event, the District has been preparing to keep them safe here in Washington,” Mayor Muriel E. Bowser said Tuesday during a news conference. “We are very much looking forward to supporting this rally.”

The Post continues:

Students from D.C.-area schools will speak at the rally, where no featured speaker will be older than 18, according to Deena Katz, president of March for Our Lives and a television producer who also helps run a Women’s March chapter in Los Angeles.

The march itself will take participants down Pennsylvania Avenue NW from 12th Street to Third Street. Katz cautioned that the event might be less of a march than a rally, given the expected crowd size.

A main stage near Pennsylvania Avenue and Third Street NW will feature speeches from school shooting victims, D.C. students and activists.

Musical performances by artists such as Ariana Grande, whose concert last year at Britain’s Manchester Arena was the site of a terrorist attack, will be broadcast on 20 Jumbotrons along Pennsylvania Avenue.

The paper also notes that several of the students who helped organize the march have received threats of violence. D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham assured the students that they are “coming to one of the safest cities in the country.” Medical tents staffed by volunteers will also serve as reunification points for members of groups, should they get separated.

Many satellite marches have also put effort into preparing for the influx of protesters. Students in Bethesda, Md., have organized a homeshare network to help house other students headed for D.C. Rideshare company Lyft will offer free rides to march attendees in 50 cities.

Many celebrities have announced that they will attend the D.C. march, including George and Amal Clooney, Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey.

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#activism#amal clooney#george clooney#gun control#lyft#march#march for our lives#marjory stoneman douglas high school#oprah winfrey#parkland#steven spielberg#td-original