Scores of demonstrators took to the streets of Washington on an oppressively hot and humid Saturday to protest the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops.
Hundreds gathered at Dupont Circle for a march through Washington to protest the deployment, which the Trump administration has claimed was meant to clamp down on crime and homelessness in the city. Many of the demonstrators dismissed that pretext and said the National Guard deployment was an abuse of power.
An activist group called Refuse Fascism led the demonstrators as they marched down Connecticut Avenue to the National Mall, filling the road and blocking traffic. Many were wearing bright orange bandannas and holding signs with slogans, including “Trump Must Go Now” and “No ICE! No National Guard!”
Metropolitan Police officers on bicycles looked on from afar as the group marched in what was a largely peaceful, upbeat protest. Marchers sang, danced and blew brightly colored whistles. One blasted music — by D.C.-based artists only — from a portable speaker. The crowd chanted and cheered at drivers who honked in support. Many marchers were residents of Washington and its suburbs, and they said they showed up to to defend of the region they call home.
Robin Galbraith, 61, said she hoped the current moment would underscore the need for statehood in the District of Columbia. She said that, too often, federal lawmakers, particularly Republicans, have used the district as a pawn “for their own agenda.”
“Trump is attacking my city to distract from everything that’s going bad in his administration,” said Ms. Galbraith, a retired schoolteacher who has lived in the area all her life.
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