Donald Trump’s voice won’t be the only one heard at this year’s inauguration.
Tens of thousands of people are preparing to hit the streets of Washington D.C. during the 45th president’s inaugural week. While some will march in support of the president or various causes, a growing number will be on hand to show their opposition to the newly elected president and his administration.
The National Park Service has provided 22 permits for First Amendment events that will take place over inauguration week on park service land that includes the National Mall and the White House. Each protest ranges in size from 50 people to 200,000, however, any protest less than 25 people does not require a permit.
“The permit applications we received this year are a considerable uptick,” Mike Litterst, public affairs officer of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, said, adding that they typically have only provided about a half dozen for past inaugurations.
D.C.’s Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has been preparing for the protests and the inauguration crowds since April. They’re expecting 800,000 – 900,000 people to attend overall, which is significantly less than Obama’s inauguration in 2009 that drew 1.8 million and forced the city into gridlock.
And the DHS will continue to examine hotel occupancy rates, buses and social media sites to try to gain a better understanding of the crowd’s potential size as initial estimates could change.
The largest protest is expected to come the day after Trump’s inauguration. According to the permit they acquired for 200,000 demonstrators and the responses they’ve received via social media, the Women’s March on Washington is predicted to draw hundreds of thousands of protesters in the nation’s capital on Jan. 21, although there will be corresponding protests across the country.
Ben Becker, an activist helping to organise the ANSWER Coalition’s two prominent protests along the inaugural parade route, said it is unsurprising that there is this much interest in demonstrations opposed to the incoming administration.
Like many protest organisations, ANSWER wanted to have a prominent position at the inauguration because, according to Becker, they wanted the world, international media and Trump himself to see their opposition.
All anti-Trump protesters shared the belief that inauguration day would only be the beginning, as they trust that the incoming administration will continue to take a hostile tone toward minorities and various other stakeholders.
The goal is to start big and then take the organising outside of Washington D.C. to smaller communities across the country.
COURTESY NBC NEWS
