Thousands Attend US Women's Marches    01/19 08:50

   Thousands gathered in cities across the country Saturday as part of the 
nationwide Women's March rallies focused on issues such as climate change, pay 
equity, reproductive rights and immigration.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Thousands gathered in cities across the country Saturday 
as part of the nationwide Women's March rallies focused on issues such as 
climate change, pay equity, reproductive rights and immigration.

   Hundreds showed up in New York City and thousands in Washington, D.C. for 
the rallies, which aim to harness the political power of women, although crowds 
were noticeably smaller than in previous years. Marches were scheduled Saturday 
in more than 180 cities.

   The first marches in 2017 drew hundreds of thousands of people to rallies in 
cities across the country on the day after President Donald Trump was 
inaugurated. That year's D.C. march drew close to 1 million people.

   In Manhattan on Saturday, hundreds of people gathered as part of a "Rise and 
Roar" rally at separate events in Foley Square and Columbus Circle.

   "Today, we will be the change that is needed in this world! Today, we rise 
into our power!" activist Donna Hylton told a cheering crowd in Foley Square.

   Snow began falling by the afternoon in Manhattan, apparently putting a 
damper on plans for the two groups to converge in large numbers near Times 
Square.

   In downtown Los Angeles, thousands of men, women and children filled several 
blocks as they made their way from a plaza to a park adjacent to City Hall, 
where a rally featured speeches by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Rep. Maxine Waters and 
others.

   Jennifer Siebel Newsom credited women for mobilizing against gun violence, 
creating the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and discrimination, and 
taking back the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives. 

   "In 2020, I have no doubt that it will be women who will lead again, rise up 
and move this country forward on a path toward justice," she said.

   In Denver, organizers opted to skip the rally after the march and instead 
invited participants to meet with local organizations to learn more about 
issues such as reproductive rights, climate change, gun safety and voting.

   Several thousand came out for the protest in Washington, far fewer than last 
year when about 100,000 people held a rally east of the White House. But as in 
previous years, many of the protesters made the trip to the nation's capital 
from cities across the country to express their opposition to Trump and his 
policies. From their gathering spot on Freedom Plaza, they had a clear view 
down Pennsylvania Avenue to the U.S. Capitol, where the impeachment trial gets 
underway in the Senate next week.

   In Washington, three key issues seemed to galvanize most of the protesters: 
climate change, immigration and reproductive rights.

   "I teach a lot of immigrant students, and in political times like this I 
want to make sure I'm using my voice to speak up for them," said Rochelle 
McGurn, 30, an elementary school teacher from Burlington, Vermont who was in 
D.C. to march. "They need to feel like they belong, because they do."

   Peta Madry of New London, Connecticut, was celebrating her 70th birthday in 
D.C. by attending her fourth Women's March with her sister, Cynthia Barnard, of 
San Rafael, California. Both women were wearing handknitted pink hats that date 
from the first march. With pained expressions, they spoke about Trump's 
determination to reverse the policies of his predecessor Barack Obama and his 
treatment of women.

   "Look what he's doing to Greta Thunberg," Madry said, referring to the 
teenage climate activist. "He's the biggest bully in the world."

   Melissa McCullough of Georgetown, Indiana, said when she recently turned 50 
she promised herself that she would get more involved politically. "I'm here to 
protest Trump, as a woman," she said.

   Her daughter, 19-year-old University of Cincinnati student Elizabeth 
McCullough, chimed in to say that most women's issues are human issues, and 
they talked about the need to protect immigrants.

   "You have to push to protect everyone or no one's safe," Melissa McCullough 
said.

   The protesters planned to march around the White House, but Trump wasn't 
there. He is spending the holiday weekend at his resort in Florida.

   Organizers of the Washington march faced criticism from some local African 
American activists for failing to focus on local issues and damaging the 
ability of local activists to organize.

   "Local D.C. is a domestic colony and the actions of national organizers have 
to recognize that," Black Lives Matter D.C. wrote in a letter this week to 
Women's March organizers. "Here in D.C., these unstrategic mass mobilizations 
distract from local organizing, often overlook the black people who actually 
live here and even result in tougher laws against demonstration being passed 
locally."


(KR)