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DisruptJ20 March Hits The Streets In Lower Manhattan
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Jan 21, 2017
Modified Jan 21, 2017
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By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Jan 21, 2017
Modified Jan 21, 2017
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On the rainy Friday evening following Donald Trump’s inauguration, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Lower Manhattan to speak out against Trump and promote the cause of socialism. The demonstration - organized by Socialist Alternative, Democratic Socialists of America, and a host of other ideologically-aligned groups - was one of several events held nationally aimed at uniting grassroots factions of the left in resistance to the Trump administration.
This march began at Foley Square, with short speeches delivered by a diverse ensemble of anti-gentrification activists, students, socialist organizers, and a city housing policy analyst. Their stated goals included the solidarity and protection of workers, preservation of sanctuary cities, creation of single-payer health care system, an end to mass incarceration, and the recognition of rights of women, Muslims, the LGBTQ community, and all other persecuted minorities.
The fact that the majority of these demands have now become politically unthinkable, on the federal level at least, was not lost on the protesters. “It’s a moment of total demoralization in some ways,” said Trevor Stark, a lecturer and postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University. “I just hope the anger can be tipped into positive organizing, and that the strands that started with Bernie can move forward beyond the person.”
After Foley Square, as the marchers moved south on Broadway toward the Trump building at 40 Wall Street, many in the crowd discussed their personal fears of a Trump presidency. “It's a scary mirror image of other fascists that have taken power,” said Shanley Mitchell, a senior at the New School studying political science and integrative design. She said she was particularly concerned with Trump’s plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which her mother is currently enrolled in. “I don’t know if I fully identify as a socialist,” Mitchell added, “but I think there are some socialist values that are needed right now for sure.”
Other protesters argued that viewing President Trump in the context of an unprecedented fascistic threat was inaccurate. According to Zishun Ning, a freelance videographer, Democratic politicians like Mayor Bill de Blasio were no better. “[De Blasio’s] affordable housing plan has destroyed communities of color across the city - look at East Harlem, Chinatown, East New York,” Ning said. “He’s trying to use the election for his own image, but in the end they're two sides of the same coin.”
One obvious next step, according to some protesters, is a coordinated effort to put more socialist leaders on local ballots. “In America, if you can win elections you’re real and if you can’t, you’re not,” said Paul Swartz, an educator at the New York Historical Society. Swartz, a former volunteer for Dennis Kucinich, Anthony Weiner, and Bernie Sanders, recently joined the DSA after learning that the group planned to form an electoral committee to run candidates for office. “Some people are still squeamish around the socialist label, which strikes me as crazy in the wake of Bernie,” he added. “If we can win now, we should capitalize.”
While Swartz was one of many Sanders supporters in attendance, the protest also featured representatives both more and less radical than the ostensibly socialist senator. Some carried anarchist flags and dressed in the media-captivating black bloc uniform; others sported pro-Clinton pins and “I’m Still With Her” signage.
The range of allegiances made for some oddly paired chants - shouts of “Love Trumps Hate” followed calls to “Eat the Rich” and “Fuck All Presidents”- and the occasional moment of tension. An organizer with a megaphone on the steps of Federal Hall was shouted down by some protesters who felt he was being coercive. Later in the evening, as the marchers trekked from Wall Street toward Union Square, two women engaged in a heated argument about whether it was appropriate to fraternize with police.
Conflicting outlooks and internecine ideological arguments aren't a new phenomenon in any broad protest movement, especially one focused on a man so broadly detestable as Donald Trump. But according to Dan Kroops, a member of Socialist Alternative who helped organized the event, Trump’s election has made unity among progressive-minded New Yorkers more necessary than ever.
“New Yorkers braved the rain and cold to stand together,” Kroops said. “It was a radical grassroots march and we will continue to work together under the slogan: an injury to one is an injury to all.”
According to the NYPD, 6 men and 3 women were arrested at the march, and all of them were charged with disorderly conduct.
Tagged
democratic socialists of america
disruptj20
president trump
trump protest
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Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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