A planned march to show LGBT solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement on Christmas Eve morning is expected to attempt to block the Octavia and Market on/off-ramp during rush hour.

SFist received word of the protest last night, and organizers say they expect as many as 400 members (numbers could vary) of the SF LGBT community to join in the march, rallying under the message "It’s no time for a celebration" on this, one of the busiest travel and shopping days of the year.

The march is set to begin just outside the Castro proper at the LGBT Community Center (1800 Market Street near Octavia Street) at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, with marchers chanting "Silence Equals Violence" and "We’re here, We’re queer, black lives matter." The plan is to place a large pink triangle in the Market and Octavia intersection and to block traffic for 4 minutes and 28 seconds, symbolizing the amount of time Michael Brown lay dead in Ferguson, MO.

The march comes after black LGBT faith leaders joined publicly in solidarity with the movement last week, and after openly gay Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus stood with protesters in uniform holding a Black Lives Matter sign — something that he received criticism for from the Richmond Police Officers Association.

Says CCSF student organizer Thea Matthews, "We must unite ALL oppressed communities whom face police repression and violence, so we not only empower each other, but so we also heal our collective wounds."

Update: The protest is in fact happening as of 9 a.m., and photos are coming in via Twitter. According to ABC 7 the protesters are 300 strong.

Update 2: The traffic blockage only lasted 15 minutes, as ABC 7 is reporting. Marchers then moved on toward the Castro.

All recent protest coverage on SFist.