More than 700 rallies planned
WASHINGTON — Demonstrators gathered Saturday in cities across the US in a coordinated wave against President Donald Trump’s policies, according to the New York Times.
The protests focused on issues from immigration to civil liberties and federal job cuts.
More than 700 demonstrations were planned, according to the advocacy group 50501, which organized the rallies.
The demonstrations came two weeks after large-scale protests denounced the Trump administration’s agenda, and coincided with growing public concern about what activists said are authoritarian tendencies in US leadership.
While many demonstrations resembled traditional rallies, others were organized as community events, including food drives, aimed at fostering solidarity.
In Washington DC, hundreds of demonstrators assembled north of the White House to demand justice for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador. Protesters demanded the federal government return him to the US.
Aaron Burk, whose partner recently left her job at the Energy Department under a federal buyout offer, told the newspaper that he feared that the deportation of undocumented immigrants without due process could pave the way for broader civil liberties violations, including targeting Americans.
“We are losing our country,” said Sara Harvey, who was at the demonstration after protesting federal job cuts and participating in nationwide rallies April 5. “I do it for my grandchildren,” she told the newspaper.
Rallies took place in cities, including Washington, Los Angeles and Jacksonville, Florida, the report said. — AA
