Feb. 17 (UPI) — Several hundred people in New York demonstrated in a “Not My Presidents Day” event, decrying what they say are President Donald Trumps attacks on Democrats, including the dismantling of federal agencies.
The protest in New York was part of a nationwide movement by the group Rise and Resist that describes itself as “50-50-1,” standing for 50 states, 50 protests and one movement.
They met in Union Square around 1 p.m., headed south on Fifth Avenue and ended up at Washington Square Park in their peaceful protest.
“I’m old enough to remember the civil rights marches in the 1960s, where up until 1965, Black voters in Mississippi and Alabama could not vote without being killed,” protester Frank Hickey told WABC-TV. “Yes, these things do make a difference. I also remember the Vietnam demonstrations. I believe these demonstrations are the American spirit.”
Protester Kristin Mullin described her disagreements with Trump.
“The administration issued an executive order that said it was going to be a 90-day pause on all USAID projects, but it’s really just been a cut on projects,” Mullin said. “Projects don’t know when they’re starting, and as a result there is HIV medicine in warehouses that is not getting distributed, there’s food from U.S. farmers that is not getting distributed as vital humanitarian aid around the world, so it’s very concerning to me.”
Protests also took place in Houston and the San Francisco Bay area.
