Pocatello holds local women’s march

Hundreds of thousands of people participated in the women’s march on Washington, D.C. Saturday morning. There were some local marches as well, including one in Pocatello.

The one in Pocatello started at Caldwell Park, went up Center Street, down Fifth Avenue and finished at Idaho State University’s student union building.

Linda Leeurwrik, one of the organizers of the march, said they counted around 1,200 people participated in the march.

Some carried signs like “1968 is calling…don’t answer.” Or others like, “Our rights are not up for grabs…neither are we.”

The mission was not to protest, but to encourage people to stand up for other’s rights. Though it was called a women’s march, it was for more than just women’s rights. It was about overall human rights and equality for everyone.

Marchers of all ages had their reasons for joining in.

“I came today to march with my family for equality,” Melissa Caudle, who marched with her family. “To teach my daughters to stand up for themselves, to teach my son to stand with women.”

“It’s not fair if somebody does the same thing and a boy gets more than the girl does,” said Lilly Orgill, who is learning young to stand up for what she believes.

Those who marched said they were impressed by the large turnout and they felt it was a big success.

“I think it went very well,” said Nancy Ioane, who marched. “The organizers did a nice job and people were happy to participate, be part of the process. You can’t fix a problem if you’re not willing to work at it and these people here are willing to work at it.”

“I think it was a great experience,” Caudle said. “I think that there was a lot of positive energy and a really positive attitude and a sense of unity.”

Leeurwrik said they hope to make the march an annual event for Pocatello, hopefully getting bigger and better every year.

The march was also non-partisan, meaning anyone could participate. It wasn’t sponsored by one particular party.