This weekend, as thousands of people descend on the District for the inauguration, many others will arrive for the multiple protests, demonstrations and alternative events. Here are some of the largest protests going on around the District and how you can get involved in them.
Occupy Inauguration
Occupy Inauguration is a rally and protest against the 1 percent that control political power, according to the group’s Facebook page.
The group has a list of 16 demands that include universal health care, the end of all attacks on human rights and the prevention of Trump’s call for massive deportation.
On Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m., the group will meet at the Luther Place Memorial Church for planning, sign making and training. On Inauguration Day, the group will start with a rally in Meridian Hill Park at 9 a.m. and will begin their march from Meridian Hill Park to Franklin Square Park at 12:30 p.m.
Araquel Bloss, a protest organizer and the founder of the Progressive Independent Party, said organizers hope to bring together several groups, including her own Progressive Independent Party, to protest against both major political parties.
“Our mission statement is to build a new coalition for the 99 percent,” Bloss said. “This is just the first step in a greater movement to make real political change.”
Bloss added that the group is planning to host teach-ins on Saturday with speakers like former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, Chris Hedges and key organizers from the Stand with Standing Rock protests, such as Chase Iron Eyes and Dallas Goldtooth.
Protest on Inauguration Day with the ANSWER Coalition
The Act Now to Stop War and End Racism Coalition, or the ANSWER Coalition, will be protesting against President-elect Donald Trump’s “racist, sexist, anti-immigrant” proposed policies, according to the group’s website.
Protestors will meet in Freedom Plaza at 7 a.m. on Inauguration Day and will enter security checkpoints along Pennsylvania Avenue as a group to gain access to the parade route. Then, as the parade begins, the group plans to march down Pennsylvania Avenue alongside the parade.
The ANSWER Coalition is a national organization and has organized buses to come in from major cities like Boston, Chicago and New York City. So far, more than 24,000 people have RSVPed through the group’s website.
Yasmina Mrabet, an organizer of the protest, said that the group expects “tens of thousands” of people to join the protests.
“We are protesting in order to reject Trump’s s extreme right wing agenda and the electoral college system that lead to his rise in power,” she said.
Women’s March on Washington
On Saturday, the day after Inauguration Day, thousands of women and women’s rights supporters will participate in the Women’s March on Washington.
The group behind the march has organized “Sister Marches” for Jan. 21 in more than 270 cities around the country and around the world. The event in the District is expected to be the largest of the marches.
On Saturday, the group will meet at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Independence Avenue and Third Street and will then march together west along Independence Avenue, the Washington Post reported. The exact route of the march will not be released until closer to the event due to security concerns, according to the group’s website.
Jackie Savage, a D.C. regional organizer for the event, said after this presidential election, a “fire has been lit” because women and other minority groups were discriminated against in Trump’s rhetoric throughout his presidential campaign.
“After the election results there were all of these women who felt so incredibly motivated to send a message saying that what we heard in this election is not okay,” she said.
