WASHINGTON — The festivities for Donald Trump’s inauguration unofficially kicked off here Thursday. Here are three takeaways from the day before the president-elect is set to be sworn in. 

Protesters march 

Around 6:15 p.m., a march that started at 4 p.m. at McPherson Square reached Chinatown, near the Verizon Center. The protesters turned toward Trump International Hotel, screaming, “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA!”

The protesters marched through the streets, stopping traffic temporarily. Drivers pulled out their phones to document the protest and people working in offices along the protest route looked out their windows.

Eventually, the protesters reached a barrier with a small opening a few blocks directly away from Trump International Hotel. Police attempted to block it. The protesters changed their chant to, “The whole world is watching,” as they put pressure on the barricade. Shoving matches between protesters and officers broke out. Eventually, the police allowed protesters to pass. The protest then marched up to black metal gates blocking off the hotel.

It remained peaceful there as several of the hotel’s occupants on the top few floors looked out their windows.

The group planning the protest plans to rally every day at 4 p.m., according to a poster carried by protesters. One protester, Samson Saifu, said he left work and saw the protest, picked up a picket sign and started marching, but had no intent to do so earlier in the day. He said he’ll probably march again tomorrow.

“I gotta at least do something,” he said. “I’d feel bad if I passed right by and did nothing. Later on in life, my grandchildren and great grandchildren ask, ‘Oh, when Trump was elected, what did you do?’ and I said, ‘Nothing,’ I’d feel bad about it.”

In other places, favorable mood                                  

On the streets and on Metro cars, non-protesters were eager to see the birth of President Trump and wore his iconic red “Make America Great Again” hats.

Along with food trucks, small street vendors selling badges, flags featuring Trump and his campaign logo, baseball caps were on display for pedestrians in a city brimmed with enthusiasm.

In preparation of Friday’s inauguration, the law enforcement agencies have installed metal and concrete barricades and set up wire fences throughout Washington downtown. Road closures and restrictions allowed Trump’s inaugural parade roads to be filled with pedestrians, police officers and media personnel. 

Tourists paused and snapped photos of recently opened Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue on their phones.

There are several rallies scheduled in Washington on Friday, both pro- and anti-Trump, including anti-war and anti-nuke rallies.

 

Educators bring students to witness history

George Duncan stood in front of about 40 of his high school students and asked how many people would have voted for Trump. The small crowd, many clad in Clemson Tigers gear, shot their hands in the air and cheered for the man of the hour.

Duncan and his students were one of many high school and middle schools students visiting the nation’s capital for the inauguration.

“This is probably one of the most controversial inaugurations I have gotten to attend, so I think it was great for the kids to come and witness this, and to get a sense of the atmosphere here in D.C.,” Duncan said.  

Duncan traveled from Gaffney, South Carolina – coincidentally the hometown of the fictitious Frank Underwood, president in the acclaimed Netflix series, “House of Cards.”

Duncan, a Trump supporter, said he wants to see change happen in America regarding the economy, and added that he thinks Trump’s inauguration will be the start of that change.

A group of middle schoolers from Newark, New York, which is located about an hour from Syracuse, were also in Washington. 

“This is our sixth inauguration as a school, we’ve been coming for 20 years, so we come no matter who is elected,” said Lisa Eakins, a social studies teacher.  “It’s all about witnessing history, and to see that peaceful transition of power.”

In talks with other schools, students and educators many echoed those statements. The groups boarded their buses and headed back to their hotels on the eve of a nation’s controversial and historic pick officially taking office.

 

Published on January 19, 2017 at 10:54 pm

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