Anti-Trump activists have seized on Monday's federal holiday to organize "Not My Presidents Day" rallies in cities around the country.
Protest leaders say they expect thousands to take to the streets in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and as many as two dozen other communities in the latest round of demonstrations to oppose the policies of President Donald Trump.
Some 13,000 Facebook users, for instance, say they plan to join a noon protest Monday near Manhattan's Central Park.
"While we acknowledge that Donald Trump holds the current title, the policies he's trying to put in place are not the beliefs shared by the majority of the people," said Nova Calise, a television production manager and one of the organizers of New York event.
"We do not accept Donald Trump as our president because he does not represent us," she said, citing his policies on abortion and immigration as top concerns. Organizers say speakers will include Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Sonia Ossorio, who runs the New York City chapter of the National Organization for Women.
Calise said activists around the country were inspired by plans for a Presidents Day protest in Los Angeles and have collaborated via Facebook for about three weeks. "No one expected this to get so large," she said. "That's the power of social media."
Other protests include:
► In Los Angeles, activists plan a 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. protest outside City Hall.
► In Atlanta, organizers plan what they call an "ImPEACH Now" march.
► In Chicago, 3,700 people have indicated on Facebook that they will join Monday's noon rally across the Chicago River from the Trump Tower and another 16,000 say they are interested in the event.
One of the Chicago organizers, business professor Laura Hartman, said the event has an overarching theme of unity. Hartman said Trump's early moves — from attacking journalists to imposing limits on immigration — could splinter the public.
"We don't want to pick an issue," said Hartman, who also attended the massive Women's March in Washington last month. "By embracing a broad umbrella, we can show this administration that the numbers against it are broad."
Protesters staged other marches and rallies in the run-up to Presidents Day. In New York, for instance, activists gathered downtown Saturday at Washington Square Parkto hold a mock "funeral" for the presidency. New York Police Department officials Sunday declined to provide a crowd estimate, citing department policy.
On Saturday, Trump staged his own rally for supporters in Florida, drawing roughly 9,000 people to an aircraft hangar in Melbourne.
Reprinted from USA Today, February 19, 2017 with the title, Thousands expected at 'Not My Presidents Day' rallies Monday
###
February 20, 2017
