On the 28th of January, Chesapeake Climate Action Network held their annual midwinter Polar Bear Plunge on the banks of the Potomac River at National Harbor. One of the speakers was DC Councilmember Mary Cheh, who exhorted the crowd to "resist, resist, resist" the Trump agenda, and vowed to make the White House pay for carbon-priced electricity.If Mary Cheh is serious about "resist," three Greenpeace protesters and several hundred #DisruptJ20 protesters could use her help.
SURG-DC is reporting that arrests and deportations of US Muslims have already started. Visas are being revoked without warning. At any time Trump is expected to issue an executive order forbidding immigration by most or all Muslims, but he has not signed it yet. He already signed a decree (this is how he rules) to build a wall on the Mexican border. Somehow Trump still expects Mexico to pay for this wall.With the formal ban on Muslim immigrations still expected and roundups already starting, an emergency protest was held in DC on 15th st near the White House.
HD Video (720p) of the Greenpeace "resist" banner hang from a 270 foot crane that appeared to float over the White House when viewed from the southhttps://www.facebook.com/greenpeaceusa
Called for 10AM in Logan Circle, the bloc was still assembling when I arrived at about 10:15, but already numbered at least 200. Fighters continued to trickle in, and a short time later a large contingent arrived en masse with a banner to loud cheers and applause. Not too long after this the march began, then hesitated for a few minutes, even as a line of unmarked white vans full of riot cops pulled in across the street.
On the 24th of January, "Fuhrer" Donald Trump signed executive orders to restart the Keystone XL approval process and attempt to ram through the Dakota Access Pipeline. At 5PM, with just 4 hours notice, protesters started gathering at the White House to denounce this reckless decision. What began at 5PM with hundreds swelled by nightfall to what several Twitter posters estimated as more than 1,500 protesters.Trump is going to have a problem with the Keystone, because the Nebraska state courts overturned the eminent domain process used by TransCanada to get a route.
https://twitter.com/georgejoseph94 is reporting evidence that police are using cell phones stolen from activists caught in the mass arrest at DisruptJ20 to log into email accounts of activists. Anyone with such an account needs to change their passphrase and lock out their former devices, and may want to close and replace the offending accounts RIGHT NOW if possible.The attached photo is a screenshot of a Twitter account showing activity while the owner's phone was in police hands.
Video-23 Days of ResistanceVideo compilation of protests and direct actions mostly in DC against Trump, against racism, and against fascism.Begins with Jan 1 anti-DAPL banner hang at Vikings game then the Jan 2 "Little Counterinaugural" in DC where Black Lives matter disrupted Mayor Bowser's speech during the City Council swearing-in.
Jan 22 is Donald Chump's 3rd day in office and acts of resistance continue. On I-495 (Capitol Beltway) between Ga Ave and Connecticut Ave a pair of banners were dropped, one facing each direction. The banner facing the eastbound lanes reads "Love Trumps Hate" and a banner facing the westbound lanes reads "Dump Trump." Trump is already becoming extraordinarily dangerous. His neo-Nazi buddy Richard Spencer (who got punched during the Inauguration) is challenging Trump to make overtly confronting anti-Fascist activists the first test of his reign.
On the 21st of January, the Women's March, was declared by organizers to be the largest Inaugural protest in history, outdrawing Trump's "orange man" inaugural the day before. It was so but the orignal march route on the Mall was filled with rallygoers, forcing cancellation of the originally planned march. As a result,unoffical marches went past the White House, shut down Chinatown, and generally took over nearby streets.Some other parts of downtown DC were nearly empty of traffic, seeming like a ghost town north of L st or so.
Video file updated-some sound enhancements, better quality version of the clip showing the empty parade route, bloc charges police line(new clip), Richmond clips in night march sequence near end captioned as such.Video compilation of the days's events at the Counterinaugural/Disrupt J20 protests against Donald Trump. Checkpoint blockades, Alex Jones expelled, empty parade route, Richard Spencer punched, heroes rescue elder and disabled protester from police attack during Battle of K Street, limo burns, marches go on well into the night after a 7AM start.
On the 20th of January, police continued to fire flashbangs and pepper spray at determined protesters who refused to yield the streets hours after a potential next Hitler, Donald Trump, had been sworn into office. Cops reported "shooting at everybody" with chemical weapons. Anti-fascist fighters took losses to a mass arrest but there is a report that Richard Spencer got punched, and at least one limousine was attacked and set on fire.
Update Jan 21, 10:45PM:All arrestees out of processing, right-wing press beating their chests about felony riot charges with 10 year maximum. Charges confirmed by DisruptJ20 twitter. The Daily Mail et all must not be familiar with DC's world-class activist lawyers.
Update 6PM:270 arrests reported for the day, 6 cops injured. Mass arrest FAILED to stop battles between police and protesters in the K st (lobbyists Row) area, which went on many more hours.
Update 11AM:anticapitalist bloc kettled but blockades holding, Mall nearly empty. Chants of "you want a wall you'ge got one!" as Trump supporters (MAGA'ts) turned away.On the 20th of January, protesters managed to get out in the streets and blockade Inaugural checkpoints in spite of a blizzard of harassment from Trump's paid unofficial brownshirts. Police as well were unable to pre-empt lockdowns that shut down multiple Inaugural checkpoints. They had to physically pry SURJ off the fence at one point.
Let's be clear, DC does not welcome the Trump regime. So, as you are maneuvering your way through the city this weekend, keep in mind conservative think tanks, lobbying firms and companies receiving millions in disbursements from the Trump campaign are here too. For the anti-fascists from out of town, welcome to DC. Here's a little list to help you understand where some places are: Downtown and Dupont Circle and GeorgetownEthics and Public Policy Center: 1730 M St NW Suite 910Capital Research Center: 1513 16th St NWHudson Institute: 1201 Pennsy
Update from Lacy Macaulay: "Meanwhile, @FoxNews reported a child started the fire at #Deploraball. Charge him w conspiracy too @JamesOKeefeIII?"
Update Jan 20: Ugly report of two after the fact arrests
Special Warning: Do not fill out "surveys" at the Women's March asking who you are or wear you are from.
On the 19th of January, protests against the upcoming Trump adminstration continued with a sit-in against FERC's monthly "public" meeting, from which the public is actually excluded. The Federal Energy Regulator Commission or FERC is a regulatory agency that has been totally captured by the energy industries it is supposed to regulate. Only once have they ever disapproved one of the big LNG export facilities, that after a huge public outcry. FERC is famous as the oil, gas, and pipeline indistry's rubber stamp.
On the 18th of January, a packed crowd marched from the Friendship Heights Metro to Western Eve and Tenneson St, as close to the home of Mike Pence as police barricades on the side street would let them get. Most of the crowd had to stay on Western Ave simply due to its size. The message of the crowd was simple: the hate and bigotry Pence stands for will not be tolerated. This was a Disrupt J20 and Werk for Peace event.Many residential protests have originated in Friendship Heights, but this was probably the largest.
On the 15th of January, refusefascism.org staged the second of their nightly street marches that begin with a 4PM rally at McPherson Square. This march went through Chinatown and then on to Trump Hotel. A tense confrontation ensued marchers surging against the hotel's barricades as security guards strained to hold them back. Eventually more guards and cops reinforced the barricade, foreclosing the possiblity of pushing through and storming the hotel-for that night.The march then left the hotel, passing the White House before continung to march through DC streets.