Tag: womens march on washington
Challenging Trump, Millions Of Women’s Marchers Stun US And World

Challenging Trump, Millions Of Women’s Marchers Stun US And World

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Hundreds of thousands of women, many with husbands, boyfriends and children in tow, filled the streets of several major U.S. cities on Saturday in an unprecedented wave of mass protests against President Donald Trump the day after his inauguration.

Women activists, galvanized by Trump campaign rhetoric and behavior they found to be especially misogynistic, spearheaded scores of U.S. marches and sympathy rallies around the world that organizers said drew nearly 5 million protesters in all.

The demonstrations, far surpassing crowd expectations, highlighted strong discontent over Trump’s comments and policy positions toward a wide range of groups, including Mexican immigrants, Muslims, the disabled and environmentalists.

The planned centerpiece of the protests, a Women’s March on Washington, appeared to draw larger crowds than turned out a day earlier to witness Trump’s swearing-in on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

No official estimates of the turnout were available, but it clearly exceeded the 200,000 marchers projected in advance by organizers, filling long stretches of downtown Washington around the White House and the National Mall.

Many wore knitted pink cat-eared “pussy hats,” an appropriated reference to Trump’s boast in a 2005 video made public weeks before the election about grabbing womens’ genitals.

Hundreds of thousands more women thronged New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver and Boston, adding to a public outpouring of mass dissent against Trump unmatched in modern U.S. politics for a new president’s first full day in office.

So-called Sister March organizers estimated 750,000 demonstrators swarmed the streets of Los Angeles, one of the largest of Saturday’s gatherings. Police said the turnout there was as big or bigger than a 2006 pro-immigration march that drew 500,000.

Some 400,000 marchers assembled in New York City, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio, though organizers put the number there at 600,000.

The Chicago event grew so large that organizers staged a rally rather than trying to parade through the city. Police said more than 125,000 people attended there; sponsors estimated the crowd at 200,000.

The protests, mostly peaceful, illustrated the depth of division in the country, still reeling from the bitterly fought 2016 election campaign. Trump stunned the world by defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state and first lady who made history as the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. political party.

Pam Foyster, a resident of Ridgway, Colorado, said the atmosphere in Washington reminded her of mass protests during the 1960s and ’70s against the Vietnam War and in favor of civil rights and women’s rights.

“I’m 58 years old, and I can’t believe we are having to do this again,” Foyster said.

Although Republicans now control the White House and both houses of Congress, Trump faces entrenched opposition from wide segments of the public, in contrast with the honeymoon period new presidents typically experience when first taking office.

A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found Trump had the lowest favorability rating of any incoming U.S. president since the 1970s.

Women-led protests against Trump, who has vowed that U.S. policy would be based on the principle of “America first,” also were staged in Sydney, London, Tokyo and other cities across Europe and Asia.

Sister March sponsors boasted some 670 gatherings around the world in solidarity with the Washington event, estimating a global turnout of more than 4.6 million participants, although those numbers could not be independently verified.

Trump, in a Twitter post on Saturday, wrote, “I am honored to serve you, the great American People, as your 45th President of the United States!”

Attending an interfaith service at Washington National Cathedral before visiting the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters, Trump made no mention of the protests.

But he angrily attacked media reports, including photos, showing that crowds at Friday’s inaugural were smaller than those seen in 2009 and 2013, when Barack Obama took the oath of office for his first and second terms as president.

“I made a speech, I looked out, the field was, it looked like a million, million and a half people,” Trump said at his visit to the CIA. “They showed a field where there were practically nobody standing there.”

Saturday’s march in Washington overwhelmed the city’s Metro subway system, with enormous crowds reported and some stations temporarily forced to turn away riders.

The Metro reported 275,000 rides as of 11 a.m. (1600 GMT) Saturday, 82,000 more than the 193,000 reported at the same time on Friday, Inauguration Day, and eight times normal Saturday volume.

The peaceful atmosphere of Saturday’s march contrasted sharply with unrest the day before, when groups of black-clad anti-establishment activists, among hundreds of anti-Trump protesters, smashed windows, set vehicles on fire and fought with riot police, who responded with stun grenades.

Washington prosecutors on Saturday said about $100,000 in damage had been done and 230 adults and five minors had been arrested.

Saturday’s march featured speakers, celebrity appearances and a protest walk along the National Mall.

Among the well-known figures who attended were pop star Madonna, singer-actress Cher and former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Clinton won the popular vote in the Nov. 8 presidential election by around 2.9 million votes and exceeded Trump’s support among women voters by more than 10 percentage points. Trump, however, easily prevailed in the state-by-state Electoral College vote that actually determines the outcome of the race.

Trump offered few if any olive branches to his opponents in his Friday inauguration speech.

“He has never seemed particularly concerned about people who oppose him, he almost fights against them instinctively,” said Neil Levesque, executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College.

But the lawmakers whom Trump will rely on to achieve his policy goals, including building a wall on the Mexican border and replacing the 2010 healthcare reform law known as Obamacare, may be more susceptible to negative public opinion the anti-Trump rallies illustrates, Levesque said.

“Members of Congress are very sensitive to the public mood, and many of them are down here this week to see him,” Levesque said.

At the New York march, 42-year-old Megan Schulz, who works in communications, said she worried that Trump was changing the standards of public discourse.

“The scary thing about Donald Trump is that now all the Republicans are acquiescing to him and things are starting to become normalized,” Schulz said. “We can’t have our president talking about women the way he does.”

(Additional reporting by Lisa Lambert, Mike Stone, Jonathan Landay, Ian Simpson Ginger Gibson and Joel Schectman in Washington; Lisa Girion in Los Angeles; Jonathan Allen in New York; Timothy McLaughlin in Chicago and Deborah Todd in San Francisco; Writing by Scott Malone and Steve Gorman; Editing by Leslie Adler & Simon Cameron-Moore)

IMAGE: An ambulance drives through demonstrators taking part in the Women’s March to protest Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 45th president of the United States near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, January 21, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Fortress Washington Girds For Days Of Anti-Trump Protests

Fortress Washington Girds For Days Of Anti-Trump Protests

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Washington will turn into a virtual fortress ahead of Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration on Friday as the U.S. capital braces for more than a quarter-million protesters expected during the Republican’s swearing-in.

Police have forecast that some 900,000 people, both supporters and opponents, will flood Washington for the inauguration ceremony, which includes the swearing-in on the steps of the U.S. Capitol and a parade to the White House along streets thronged with spectators.

Many of those attending will be protesters irate about the New York real estate developer’s demeaning comments about women, immigrants and Muslims, a vow to repeal the sweeping healthcare reform law known as Obamacare and plans to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

His supporters admire Trump’s experience in business, including as a real estate developer and reality television star, and view him as an outsider and problem-solver.

Outgoing U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said police aim to separate groups to diffuse tensions, similar to last-year’s political conventions.

“The concern is some of these groups are pro-Trump, some of them are con-Trump, and they may not play well together in the same space,” Johnson said on MSNBC on Thursday.

About 28,000 security personnel, miles (kilometers) of fencing, roadblocks, street barricades and dump trucks laden with sand will be part of the security cordon around 3 square miles (almost 8 square km) of central Washington.

About 30 groups that organizers claim will draw about 270,000 protesters or Trump backers have received permits for rallies or marches before, during and after the swearing-in. More protests are expected without permits.

A protest group known as Disrupt J20 has vowed to stage demonstrations at each of 12 security checkpoints and block access to the festivities on the grassy National Mall.

PROTESTS AROUND THE WORLD

By far the biggest protest will be the Women’s March on Washington on Saturday, which organizers expect to draw 250,000 people. Hundreds of Women’s March-related protests are scheduled across the United States and around the world as well.

There will be an anti-Trump protest in New York on Thursday evening when Mayor Bill de Blasio, filmmaker Michael Moore and actors Mark Ruffalo and Alec Baldwin, who portrays Trump on “Saturday Night Live,” take part in a rally outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower.

One Washington protest will come amid a haze of pot smoke as pro-marijuana activists show their opposition to Trump’s choice for attorney general, Alabama Republican Senator Jeff Sessions, a critic of pot legalization.

The group plans to distribute 4,200 joints at the inauguration and urge attendees to light up. Possession of small amounts of marijuana is legal in Washington but public consumption is not.

Interim Police Chief Peter Newsham said officers were prepared for mass arrests, although authorities hoped that would be unnecessary.

“If we do have a mass arrest, we’ll be able to get people processed very quickly,” he told Washington’s NBC 4 television station.

Police and security officials have pledged to guarantee protesters’ constitutional rights to free speech and peaceable assembly.

Friday’s crowds are expected to be less than the 2 million who attended Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, and in line with the million who were at his second, four years ago.

The inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue will pass the Trump International Hotel, a rallying point for protesters since the election now encircled by security fences.

In a sign of the Trump-related angst gripping Washington, the dean of the Washington National Cathedral said this week its choir would sing “God Bless America” at the inauguration despite misgivings by some members.

“Let me be clear: We are not singing for the President. We are singing for God because that is what church choirs do,” the Reverend Randolph Marshall Hollerith said in a letter.

Trump will attend an interfaith prayer service at the cathedral on Saturday, closing out the inaugural ceremonies.

(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Scott Malone and Bill Trott)

IMAGE: Chain link fencing is up around the Washington Monument as a security measure in the days prior to Donald J. Trump’s inauguration, in Washington, U.S., January 15, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Theiler

Despite Showman Reputation, Trump Fails To Book A-Listers For Inauguration

Despite Showman Reputation, Trump Fails To Book A-Listers For Inauguration

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Donald Trump made his name with opulent hotels and a dramatic reality TV show, but his inauguration on Friday as the 45th U.S. president is shaping up as a more understated affair, with big names in entertainment staying away.

Like those who came before him, Trump will take his oath on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building and lead a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, but there will be fewer official balls and less glitz and celebrity talent to welcome in the new president.

Inaugurations have been star-studded affairs since 1941, when President Franklin Roosevelt held a gala with actors Charlie Chaplin, Mickey Rooney and other stars of the era, said Jim Bendat, a historian who has written a book on U.S. inaugurations.

But this year, several singers – including Elton John and Charlotte Church – declined invitations to perform at inaugural events. Trump, a New York businessman and former star of “The Apprentice” TV show, won with a populist platform that included promises to build a wall along the Mexican border, restrict immigration from Muslim countries and dismantle Obamacare.

Broadway star Jennifer Holliday said yes to performing, but backed down after a backlash from fans.

“You can’t really find precedent for that,” Bendat said in an interview.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, singer Jackie Evancho and the Rockettes dancing troupe are among those slated to perform, although individual Rockettes will be allowed to opt out of performing if they so choose.

Trump’s inaugural committee has said it is intentionally avoiding top entertainers.

“We’re fortunate in that we have the greatest celebrity in the world, which is the president-elect,” Tom Barrack, inaugural committee chairman, told reporters at Trump Tower in New York last week.

“So what we’ve done, instead of trying to surround him with what people consider A-listers, is we are going to surround him with the soft sensuality of the place,” Barrack said.

Trump is slated to attend three official galas. Other modern inaugurations have had around 10 official balls, which the president and first lady would attend in rapid succession, typically dancing during each appearance.

Then-President Bill Clinton held a record 14 balls during his 1997 inauguration, Bendat said.

On Thursday, a series of choirs and marching bands will perform at the Lincoln Memorial, followed by a concert featuring country music star Toby Keith.

Trump, who is entering office with unusually low approval ratings, has repeatedly pushed back against reports that his inauguration may be lacking in star power or have low attendance.

“People are pouring into Washington in record numbers,” Trump said on Twitter on Tuesday. “Bikers for Trump are on their way. It will be a great Thursday, Friday and Saturday!”

Officials expect about 800,000 spectators for the events – down from the estimated 1.8 million who flocked to Washington for Obama’s 2009 inauguration.

Just 40 percent of Americans said they had a favorable view of Trump versus 55 percent who had an unfavorable view, according to a Gallup poll taken from Jan. 4 to Jan. 8.

At a similar point before he took office in 2009, Obama was viewed favorably by 78 percent of Americans. Before taking office in 2001, President George W. Bush had a 62 percent favorable rating, according to the Gallup data.

“What is most likely to distinguish Trump’s inauguration is the number of protesters,” said Brian Balogh, co-host of American history radio show BackStory.

The National Parks Service has granted permits to protest for 27 groups. On Saturday, the National Mall will draw what organizers estimate will be about 200,000 people to a Women’s March to protest Trump.

The Women’s March, which is expected to be the largest protest, is aimed at bringing attention to human and civil rights issues. Honorary co-chairs of the protest include activist Gloria Steinem and actor Harry Belafonte.

(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

IMAGE: Preparations are finalized on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, where Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as America’s 45th president, in Washington, U.S., January 15, 2017.  REUTERS/Mike Theiler

6 Ways Women Are Already Resisting Donald Trump

6 Ways Women Are Already Resisting Donald Trump

Reprinted with permission from AlterNet.

On November 8, America elected a sexual predator to the presidency. Despite reeling from a collective gut punch, women who were opposed to President-elect Donald Trump channeled their sadness and rage into activism and organization.

The biggest and most well-known way women are objecting to Trump is the Women’s March on Washington, headed by three women of color and expected to draw hundreds of thousands. But women are leading the resistance in many other ways, from a teen magazine that called out Trump when the rest of the media still dealt in false equivalencies to a flood of Planned Parenthood donations made in Mike Pence’s name.

Here are six ways women are resisting Trump.

1. Women’s March on Washington

At 10 a.m. on January 21, more than 200,000 women and their male allies will gather in Washington, D.C. on the corner of Independence Avenue and Third Street near the Capitol Building and continue along the National Mall, according to an email message from Women’s March on Washington spokeswoman Cassady Fendlay. On Tuesday, march organizers announced that Gloria Steinem and Planned Parenthood would be official partners of the march.

It all started with rage and a Facebook page. While many of those who thought Hillary Clinton would win the election were still sobbing in their beds the morning of November 9, a Hawaii woman named Teresa Shook created a Facebook event and invited 40 of her friends to march on Washington on January 21 to protest Donald Trump’s election. Their idea snowballed all the way to Pantsuit Nation, the 3 million-plus member Facebook group of Hillary Clinton supporters, and suddenly there were multiple event pages with thousands of women signing up to go.

Activist Bob Bland and her team consolidated the Facebook pages, but they quickly realized most of the people involved were a) in way over their heads; b) not professional organizers; and c) white. As the Facebook event page explains, to be more inclusive and more strategic, they brought in some women of color: Carmen Perez, Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory, three accomplished social justice activists, who among other achievements, led a 2015 march from New York City to Washington, D.C., walking 250 miles to demand a fairer criminal justice system. If anyone can effectively mobilize the nearly 200,000 people who have signed up to march on the 21st, it’s these three powerhouses. Visit the website for more details and to RSVP.

2. Donating to Planned Parenthood in Mike Pence’s name.

As of December 8, Planned Parenthood had received 315,000 donations since Donald Trump’s electoral victory—and 82,000 of them were made in Mike Pence’s name.

No, the man responsible for spiking Indiana’s HIV rates and hosting funerals for fetuses hasn’t had a sudden change of heart, but who cares? To show their support of the organization and to piss off Pence, tens of thousands of women are using his name for a good cause. The best part is, Pence gets thank-you notes for each donation.

3. Teens send vagina lollipops to Donald Trump.

Send Trump Pussy is a campaign created by an inventive high school couple who are showing their displeasure at Trump’s election by making lollipops. For a mere $3.99 (plus $1 shipping), the two will send lollipops to Trump Tower, with 50 percent of the proceeds going to Planned Parenthood. According to their website, the two activists, who go by Gabe and Jules, are “on a mission to show Trump and America that we’re unsatisfied.”

According to the New York Daily News, the anatomically correct lollipops “are made with a 3-D mold and filled with basic lollipop filling.” The couple report that they have filled over 2,200 orders since December 20.

4. Teen Vogue emerges as a political and journalistic force.

Underestimate teenage girls at your own peril. While the rest of the media was contemplating whether to give Trump the benefit of the doubt, a prominent teen publication was quietly publishing articles like “Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America,” “How the ‘Heartbeat Bill’ Is Affecting a Girl Who Had An Abortion” and “What’s Happening at Standing Rock, from 2 Native American Girls” (which is among the magazine’s most watched videos ever).

Many media observers were surprised that a publication for teenage girls would be so forceful. They shouldn’t have been. As the New York Times notes, “Teen Vogue has been speaking frankly about more than fashion for a while.” That’s thanks to editor-in-chief Elaine Welteroth and digital editorial director Phillip Picardi, who have beefed up the publication’s political coverage since the 2016 presidential primary debates. According to the Times, this is only the beginning: “part of the strategy, Ms. Welteroth and Mr. Picardi say, is to let teenage girls tell their own stories of how political issues affect their lives.” As Picardi noted, “If you hear someone’s story… you are more likely to let your guard down.”

5. Women of color elected to most diverse Congress in history.

While America elected the KKK’s candidate of choice for president, some states helped to boost the number of women of color in the Senate. Kamala Harris, Tammy Duckworth and Catherine Cortez Masto are the names of the three silver linings who, when sworn in January 20, will quadrupule the number of women of color in the Senate. There is currently just one, Mazie Hirono, from Hawaii.

There were also gains in the House of Representatives, as ABC News reported:

Pramila Jayapal, who won in Washington state, immigrated to the U.S. after being born in India and raised in Indonesia and Singapore. Stephanie Murphy, who won in Florida, is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees; she will be the first Vietnamese-American in Congress.

Nanette Barragan is the first Latina elected by her congressional district in Los Angeles, and the group of incoming congresswomen is rounded out by Colleen Hanabusa from Hawaii. Lisa Blunt Rochester will be the first African-American to serve in Congress from Delaware, and Val Demings will be the first African-American to fill her Florida congressional seat.

6. More women running for office.

Women like Harris, Cortez Masto and Duckworth are only the beginning. Multiple organizations that help women run for office are noting increased interest and pledges from women who say they want to run for a variety of elected offices, from school board, city council and governor, all the way to Congress and eventually the White House.

According to the Huffington Post, the non-partisan female leadership training organization She Should Run, has heard from 4,500 women who want to attend its incubator training. Emily’s List, which focuses on electing pro-choice Democrats, told the Huffington Post that it received $770,000 in donations after November 8 through early December, 36 percent of it from new donors. Similar organizations, such as Emerge America, have also seen spikes in interest and donations.

Ilana Novick is an AlterNet contributing writer and production editor.

IMAGE: Demonstrators hold signs outside the U.S. Supreme Court as the court is due to decide whether a Republican-backed 2013 Texas law placed an undue burden on women exercising their constitutional right to abortion in Washington, U.S.  June 27, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque