A sea of signs and a chorus of chants filled 16th Street Northwest for the ‘We Are All D.C.” march Saturday.
There was a large showing to denounce the actions of the Trump administration, especially the recent federal surge of law enforcement in the District.
“It’s been almost a month now of just pure chaos,” said D.C. resident Nick Shereikis.
“I would’ve never imagined having the National Guard in place in this town terrorizing people,” said Natasha Sakolsky, a Silver Spring resident.
Thousands of people marched about two miles through the city starting at Meridian Hill Park and ending at Freedom Plaza.
“We want unification, and that’s what you’ll see here today, I think already, just the diversity of the different groups coming out,” Sakolsky said.
Many local and national organizations were represented at the march, as well as several labor unions, including UNITE HERE Local 24 from Detroit, Michigan.
“You know, nowadays we have to stay together, and we have to stick together,” said Alicia Weaver with UNITE HERE Local 24. “[…] That’s why we drove overnight all the way here. You know, we got this whole thing together in six days. Had no idea that we were even doing this.”
The event included several speakers. Jaime Contreras, whose family immigrated to the U.S. when he was a child, was one of them.
“They brought me here undocumented. I have become a citizen since. I have served in the United States Military, and this just bothers me,” he said. “What’s happening here is not the freedom that I served to protect.”
As the march wore on, one thing was clear: there will be more demonstrations like this in the future.
“It’s not the first, and it won’t be the last,” Contreras said. “We’re gonna march until we free D.C. and we also give the people of D.C. the freedom that they deserve,” Contreras said.
from Local – NBC4 Washington https://ift.tt/yOmZhu8
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