Saturday's 'March for Science' sparks political debate

SEATTLE – Thousands plan to hit the streets of downtown Seattle Saturday to "stand up" for science.

The March for Science is an international movement sparked on social media and rejuvenated after the Womxn’s March. Organizers say real science is being marred as fake news or fake facts and funding for important research is being slashed.

“I think people are riled up, just the way the country is right now,” said Luke Derror.



From a Tax Day March last weekend to the epic Womxn’s March back in January .

“Now is the time to stand up for it,” said Derror.

‘It’ being science. Protecting our orcas, keeping our waterways clean, and researching for a cure are all things March for Science Seattle organizer Miles Greb says are under attack.

“This kind of galvanizing event happened with these EPA budget cuts and censoring of climate change data and it really inspired people to say let’s march for science,” said Greb.

The White House proposed budget cuts in March.

“We are proposing a budget that will shrink the bloated federal bureaucracy and I mean bloated,” said President Donald Trump.

“Science should be a centrist issue. Science should belong to everyone and it shouldn’t be something to play partisan politics with,” said Greb.

That’s why Cliff Mass, a University of Washington professor of Atmospheric Sciences, says the march just isn’t a good idea.

“I think scientists have to work very hard not to politicize what we do,” said Mass.

So instead of taking to the streets...

“I think scientists like myself need to go out into the community and we need to talk to people who have differing views and tell them about the science process and tell them what we know about climate change. If we do that, we could regain that middle again,” said Mass.

He fears all the signs, chants and pent-up frustration may wake a sleeping dragon.

“We’ve got to be really careful. Trump is someone who hasn’t really defined what he believes in. and he’s also relatively defensive from what I’ve read. So we’ve got to be reality careful about pushing him into a corner that we don’t have to push him into,” said Mass.

Thousands won’t heed his warning, letting their feet beat the pavement and raising their voices for science.

The march starts Saturday at 10 a.m. at Cal Anderson Park.