A major demonstration against Donald Trump will take place in Washington, D.C. on Inauguration Day, Friday, Jan. 20. The Hudson Valley Activist Newsletter has chartered a bus from the mid-Hudson region with stops in Kingston, New Paltz and possibly Newburg.
The demonstration will consist of a marathon rally at Freedom Plaza, 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, which is on the parade route of the presidential inauguration. We will say NO to Trump’s racism, anti-immigrant bigotry, misogyny, backwardness on the environment and attacks on workers. Our signs and chants will be seen and heard by the Trump parade and will be picked up by domestic and international media. Our mobilization will give heart to those who are dreading a Trump presidency.
We have reserved one bus so far — a 50-seat coach. We are working on getting more, but between pro-Trump people, our demonstration, and the women’s march the next day, they are very difficult to get. Full-price tickets will cost $65 for a round-trip fare. We are asking for donations so that we can offer subsidies to students or low-income people, and we thank those generous friends who have already donated.
Our bus will leave Kingston around midnight and New Paltz around 12:30 a.m., arriving in Washington at 7 a.m., in order to be at the rally site before the park police close the checkpoints that give access to the site. The bus will leave Washington to return home at around 4:30 p.m., arriving in New Paltz around 11:30 p.m.
The National Park Service – which is still under the Obama administration! – has allowed Trump’s Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC), a private organization of wealthy donors, to reserve virtually all major assembly sites in Washington D.C. for its own exclusive use. That means keeping the public and protesters out. This is an unconstitutional abridgement of free speech, dissent and assembly.
ANSWER’s lawyers at the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (http://www.justiceonline.org) are fighting this illegal violation of our rights in federal court, the mass media and other public venues. We are not required to get a permit for a street protest on Pennsylvania Avenue because the street is under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police Department and not the National Park Service. As a result of litigation by the Fund over the years, the law allows us to march on Pennsylvania Avenue.
To reserve your seat or to make a contribution, please contact me at donna0726@earthlink.net, and I will let you know how to make your payment. Please specify in your message whether you are making a reservation or a donation.
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