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Thousands to march Saturday in Philadelphia against climate change

About 2,000 or more protesters will participate in a sister rally to the main Peoples Climate March in Washington — at the same time thousands will be in the city to attend NFL draft events.

Organizers say they expect 2,000 or more protesters in Philadelphia on Saturday to participate in a sister rally to the main Peoples Climate March in Washington. Here, of course, they'll be competing with the NFL draft.

Jed Laucharoen, a spokesman for the Philly Peoples Climate March, said the local group had organized through Facebook and emails.

"We're going to begin at Dilworth [Park] with a half-hour rally, then march west," Laucharoen said.

The local march is spearheaded mostly by Philly With Standing Rock, a group that supported protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, according to Laucharoen, but other groups are involved as well.

They will meet 1 p.m. at Dilworth  Park and will likely add to the traffic impact of the NFL draft events, which run from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. More on traffic challenges here.

The name Peoples Climate March reflects the organizers' broader mission of "climate, jobs, and justice." A discussion panel featuring Grandmother Regina Brave and Charles Whalen, Lakota activists, is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church  at 22nd and Chestnut Streets, about a half-mile from where people will gather for the draft.

The main climate march in Washington is predicted to draw 100,000. Like the March for Science last weekend, the climate march has spawned scores of smaller siblings around the world, and some cities are sending busloads of marchers to Washington.

Locally there is another march planned for noon at the Chester County Courthouse in West Chester. Buses are leaving from multiple locations around the region.