2 days ago
Fearing a crackdown, protesters stick to plans to rally in DC before June 14 Army parade
WASHINGTON – Tanks, armored vehicles and thousands of troops have descended for the massive June 14 Army parade as protest plans for the same day in the nation's capital proceed with caution.
President Donald Trump set the tone for the forthcoming conflict in Washington, D.C., and possibly at protests across the country, when he declared on June 10 that protesters would be "met with very big force."
"This parade sets a very dangerous and ominous mood," said Andy Zee, organizer of a "Refuse Fascism" march to the White House on the afternoon of June 14 before the Army's parade begins.
Speaking in the Oval Office on June 10, Trump said, "If there's any protester wants to come out, they will be met with very big force."
"This is people that hate our country," he added.
Trump has deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles to crack down on ongoing protests over his administration's widespread deportations. Zee and others preparing to rally against the June 14 military parade say the moment is ripe.
"There is no precedent for a situation like this," Zee said, comparing the parade – which falls on both the Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's birthday – to "something that Germany did in the 1930's."
"We should make no mistake that this is fascism."
Law enforcement officials say they are already laying down 18.5 miles of anti-scale fencing and 17 miles of bike rack concrete barriers in preparation for the parade. They plan to screen everyone entering the National Mall with 175 magnetometers, according to Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Washington field office. Drones will patrol from overhead.
Many are opting to protest anywhere but the nation's capital as part of the "No Kings" protest, organized by Indivisible and other progressive groups. More than 1,700 demonstrations spanning multiple continents are in the works, according to organizers.
But others will not be deterred from Washington. Four demonstrations, including "Refuse Fascism," have applied for a "First Amendment" permit for June 14 from the National Park Service as of early June, according to documents shared with USA TODAY.
Another, the "National Protest Against Trump and the War Machine, plans to draw up to 20,000 demonstrators to Meridian Hill Park, around 1.5 miles north of the White House.
"A military parade celebrating Trump and the Army is an outrageous insult to the American people," the group wrote in its permit application. The protest will take aim at both Trump for "eroding the people's democratic rights, our union rights, vilifying immigrants, gutting social services," as well as the Army – "the biggest cogs in the war machine."
Organizers of other planned permits – who say they will demonstrate peacefully – are taking extra security precautions.
Marcus Anthony Hunter, who is leading the National Black Justice Collective's "ceremonial walk" around the Reflecting Pool next to the Lincoln Memorial hours before the parade begins, said organizers have thoroughly consulted with security to ensure they stay within the rules.
"You can have as many security checks as possible and still run up against things you don't expect," he said.
Organizers of the walk originally planned to meet at the Washington Monument, but were deterred when law enforcement released a new security map that made it "not feasible," Hunter said. The group's permit also originally included Freedom Plaza, an open area a block from the White House often used for protests, but chose to relinquish it because a large, staged event would be "a vulnerability," he said.
Now, the walk's participants will pass through the security checkpoints mandated to enter the Army festival that will take place on the National Mall ahead of the parade. They've been told participants can bring in African drums and carry signs, but not with a wooden stick, and water, but not in an open cooler, he said.
"We are doing it because it's the right thing to do," said Hunter, who is also a University of California, Los Angeles professor of sociology and African American studies, of the walk happening as protests against the Trump administration's deportations continue in his university's hometown. "This environment underscores it even more."
More: How did the LA protests begin? A look at the immigration raids that sparked outrage
Bree Taylor, founder and executive director of the Trans Unity Coalition, which will hold a rally the day after the parade at the Capitol building, said fear of a crackdown among the community has been "ongoing" since Trump took office and has "escalated a lot" in recent weeks.
The Michigan-based group originally applied for a permit to rally on June 14, but later moved its event to the next morning – in part to avoid drawing attention to Trump's birthday.
"This isn't about the President at all, actually, this is about our community," she said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Eyeing LA protests, DC protesters fear crackdown on Army parade day
