Organizers heralding an array of causes are putting together plans for weekend protests, with some beginning Friday.
Extinction Rebellion DC, Occupy DC and Shut Down DC have all arranged for protests for the weekend.
Extinction Rebellion is hosting their second “Truth-Blasting Parade” Friday at 9 p.m.
The group said their aim is to spread awareness of the looming climate crisis in the District by pushing the need for a new normal when the nation emerges from coronavirus-based restrictions.
“Many people are already returning to their normal routines of fancy Saturday night dinners,” the group said on its Facebook page. “It’s up to us to use some old-fashioned social disruption to remind them that our way of life needs to change drastically, otherwise, there won’t be much life left.”
The event will start at Florida Avenue and T Street Northwest, across from the Howard Theater, and then hold a socially-distanced march along U and 14th streets, according to the group.
Occupy DC protested the arrests of protesters on Thursday night, who they say were unlawfully arrested by D.C. police.
Police arrested 41 protesters in Adams Morgan on Thursday, on charges of felony rioting and assaulting police officers. Several protesters were pepper sprayed, according to eyewitnesses on the scene.
Police said they did not arrest anyone who was peacefully protesting, and those they did arrest were suspected of starting fires and damaging property.
The group met at the H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse on Indiana Avenue Northwest, at 11 a.m., in support of those who had been arrested.
Shutdown DC is organizing an event Saturday morning in protest of the recent structural changes at the U.S. Postal Service that have left some concerned about the agency’s ability to handle the massive amount of mail-in ballots expected in this year’s election.
The issue has become a political flash point in recent weeks, as President Donald Trump has made several attacks questioning the legitimacy and security of mail-in votes.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who was appointed to the position by a Trump-picked board of governors, recently implemented wide-ranging changes to the post office — including prohibiting workers from pulling overtime and making additional trips to deliver mail — which he said were aimed at dealing with the agency’s multibillion dollar losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Critics of the measures say they will only make it more difficult for the post office to operate during the run-up to the election, and will make an already growing backlog of delayed mail worse.
Shutdown DC said they will meet at Kalorama Park in Northwest D.C. at 8 a.m.
“This Saturday, join #ShutDownDC in delivering democracy — and a lot of noise — right to the door of DeJoy’s swanky Kalorama condo,” the group said in a Facebook post. “If he thinks he can escape our righteous anger, he’s about to find out how wrong he is.”
The group is calling the event “Wake Up, Louis! We’re Delivering Democracy.”
WTOP’s Scott Gelman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
