Here are 11 anti-Trump inauguration protests you can join around the country

By Nidhi Prakash  |  January 18, 2017 | 1:00pm
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In just days, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the next president of the United States. Women, people of color, religious minorities, LGBTQ people, and disabled people were frequent targets of his virulent rhetoric throughout his campaign. Throughout the week, groups across the country are planning protests to speak out against an incoming administration that threatens their rights–culminating in the Women’s March on Washington, when millions are expected to converge on the capital and in other major cities.

Queer Dance Party at Mike Pence’s House

Vice president-elect’s residence on Chevy Case, MD
January 18 @ 6 p.m. EST

Two groups, WERK for Peace and DisruptJ20, are organizing a dance party/protest in front of incoming Vice President Mike Pence’s Maryland home, where they “plan on leaving behind [biodegradable] glitter and rainbow paraphinalia [sic] that he can NEVER forget.” The groups are specifically protesting Pence’s record of anti-LGBTQ legislation–he passed a law in Indiana that allowed businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ people on religious grounds, and appeared to express support for harmful “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ people in a statement during his congressional campaign in 2000, something he’s since denied.

NYC Stand Against Trump

Foley Square, in downtown Manhattan
January 20 @ 5 p.m. EST

This protest is being organized by several local groups, including Socialist Alternative, NYC; NYC the Democratic Socialists of America; the Green Party of New York State; Socialist Students; the Metropolitan Council on Housing; Occupy Kensington and Fight Back Bay Ridge. The groups published this list of demands on their Facebook event page:

  • No Deportations of Immigrants
  • No Healthcare Cuts
  • Black Lives Matter
  • Unite Against Hate Crimes
  • Defend Women’s and Workers’ Rights

The Inaugural #Trump420

Dupont Circle, Washington, DC
January 20 @ 8–4:20 p.m. EST

This event, which will see cannabis activists handing out joints and marching through the capital, is being held by DCMJ, “a community group fighting for equal rights for DC cannabis users, growers, and their families.” The group was instrumental in getting Ballot Initiative  71 passed in DC last year, legalizing small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Their plan is to “hand out 4,200 joints of legally grown cannabis! At 4 minutes and 20 seconds into President Trump’s speech we’ll light up!” The group is marching for the national legalization of cannabis.

Protest at the Inauguration: Stand Against Trump, War, Racism and Inequality

The U.S. Navy Memorial, Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC
January 20 @ 7–5 p.m. EST

The organizers of this inauguration day protest, the ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) Coalition, have been organizing protests since 2001, when they arranged demonstrations in DC against the Iraq war. This appears to be the biggest of the inauguration day protests planned for the capitol on Friday. Some of the group’s overall goals are to “fight against racist and religious profiling, in support of immigrant and workers’ rights, and for economic and social justice for all,” according to their website. On Friday, they’ll be protesting “war, militarism, racism, anti-immigrant scapegoating and neoliberal capitalism’s assault against workers’ living standards and the environment,” their Facebook event page says.

Inauguration Day People’s Assembly (Chicago)

Grace Episcopal Church, Chicago to Trump Tower Chicago
January 20 @ 1 p.m. CST

United Working Families, self-described as “a new independent political organization dedicated to giving a political voice to working people and to advancing a progressive policy agenda in Chicago and Illinois,” works with community groups and unions in Illinois. The group advocates for living wages, public education, affordable housing,and universal health care–none of which are likely to see much advancement under the Trump administration.

Not My President! Inauguration Day Protest at California State Capitol

California State Capitol, Sacramento
January 20 @ 2–6 p.m. PST

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Sacramento are marching for local and national causes, according to their Facebook event page: “we will be marching to the Capitol to protest local issues of police brutality and gentrification in addition to showing solidarity with the nationwide actions against Trump’s inauguration.” The group is also holding workshops all week on other forms of protest.

National Protest Donald Trump: Lansing, MI

Michigan State Capitol, Lansing
January 20 @ 10 a.m–2 p.m. CST

Love Always Trumps Hate was particularly supportive of Jill Stein’s campaign for a recount vote in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. They supported a petition calling on the Electoral College to cast their votes for Hillary Clinton. And they’re opposed to the Dakota Access Pipeline. The group is protesting Trump’s statements and the records of members of the incoming administration targeting people of color, women, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. “The people Trump has mocked and discriminated against during his campaign will be the people who fight the hardest for the rights that him and his admistration [sic] will work hard to get rid of them,” the Facebook event page says.

Rally Against Trump on Inauguration Day in Memphis, TN

Civic Center Plaza, Memphis
January 20 @ 4–6 p.m. CST

This smaller rally appears to be organized by two locals, River Phillips and Kaila Holt. “Our president-elect has proven many times how racist and sexist he is. We have to show the country that we will not allow racism or bigotry of any kind to become normalized in our country. Trump is a plague to the planet. He vows to get rid of the EPA, he plans to do away with the Paris Climate Agreement, and he wants to bring back the Keystone XL Pipeline,” the organizers write on the Facebook event page.

Utah rejects Trump’s agenda! Inauguration day protest!

Wallace Bennett Federal Building, Salt Lake City
January 20 @ 7–10 p.m. MST

This Utah rally is organized by the University of Utah Students for a Democratic Society, the Utah chapter of a national student organization. The group says they want to send the message that the incoming administration should expect mass protests in response to any “regressive policy.” “Stand against the racist, sexist, ableist, and overall bigoted agenda that Trump plans to promote for the next four years,” the organizers write on their Facebook event page.

Austin Inauguration Day Strike!

Carl’s Jr./Green Burrito, Austin
January 20 @ 8 a.m. CST

The Texas arm of the worker’s rights group Fight for 15 is heading up this demonstration in Austin. The day will include a strike by Austin fast food workers in the morning followed by a walkout by University of Texas Austin students in the afternoon. The group’s event page says they hope to “set the tone of Resistance in the Trump era.”

The Women’s March on Washington (and cities around the world)

Washington, DC
January 21 @ 10 a.m. EST

The women’s march is being put together by a group of women–civil rights advocates, activists, community organizers, and leaders in a range of industries. Groups including Planned Parenthood and the National Resource Defense Council have said they’ll join the march. The main protest will unfold in Washington–some 200,000 demonstrators are expected in the nation’s capital. Protests are expected in 616 cities around the world in solidarity, according to organizers.

This event will take place in the context of the inauguration of a president who has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault, made derogatory comments about women, and appointed people to his cabinet who are staunchly pro-life. “The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new administration on their first day in office, and to the world, that women’s rights are human rights,” the main event page for the march reads.

 
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