WASHINGTON (AP) — Hundreds of demonstrators gathered around the White House on Thursday night for a “noise demonstration and dance party” in an attempt to drown out President Donald Trump’s speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination.
“I hope you hear us, Trump,” the leader of the popular local band TOB shouted. The band blared Go-Go music, a distinctive D.C. variant on funk, as it moved in the direction of the White House, where Trump delivered his acceptance speech to a crowd of more 1,500 on the South Lawn.
One protester held up a sign, “Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue” — the street where the White House is located.
WTOP’s Alejandro Alvarez described Black Lives Matter Plaza as “bustling with activity.”
Made my way near the White House to start what’s sure to be two days jam-packed with protests. Been a while since I’ve seen BLM Plaza bustling with activity like this. Hundreds of people, music blaring and the smell of incense in the air. pic.twitter.com/MYRyCVp0hH
— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) August 27, 2020
There was no indication that Trump heard the protesters but there were a few points when a mix of sirens, music and blowhorns could be heard in the background and spectators in the back turned to see where the sounds were coming from.
Acknowledging the coronavirus pandemic, the demonstrators wore masks but there was no social distancing.
“Make some noise if you want to drown out Trump,” protest organizer Justin Johnson said.
After the convention concluded, there were skirmishes as protesters yelled and threw water bottles at police at the historic St. John’s Church near Black Lives Matter Plaza. There were some arrests.
There was a robust police presence but the demonstration was peaceful. There was a moment of levity at the end.
“You guys gotta get some rhythm,” a protester told Secret Service officers.
“Would you have rhythm if you were wearing 30 pounds of gear,” one responded.
The demonstration was significantly smaller than the protests that rocked the nation’s capital this past spring after George Floyd died at police hands in Minneapolis.
Floyd’s family and the families of other Black Americans who were victims of police violence were expected to participate Friday in a commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington that is being led by the Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III.
Fireworks marking the end of Trump’s address getting all the middle fingers over at Black Lives Matter Plaza. “This is bullshit,” somebody screams, before the crowd erupts into a chant of “you’re about to lose your job.” pic.twitter.com/OZLuTa9xcR
— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) August 28, 2020
Before Trump spoke, there was a brief standoff between police and demonstrators, who shouted anti-police slogans. “Free the people, fight the power,” they chanted. Nearby protesters set up a small guillotine, with the District of Columbia flag as the blade.
At one point there was a moment of levity.
“You guys gotta get some rhythm,” a protester told Secret Service officers.
“Would you have rhythm if you were wearing 30 pounds of gear,” one responded.
Lafayette Park, a traditional site of demonstrations across from the White House, was sealed off and there were some street closures.
The groups ShutdownDC and Long-Live Go-Go had put out word in advance about the planned “noise demonstration and dance party” to coincide with Trump’s speech.
“We’ll be at the White House on Thursday to drown out (Trump’s) racist rhetoric with another vision for the future of our country,” the groups said in a statement.
A longtime D.C. signature sound, Go-Go music emerged last year as a battle anthem for activists fighting fast-moving gentrification in the nation’s capital. The music has been a regular presence in recent protests against racial injustice and rolling Go-Go trucks with live bands have appeared frequently at the epicenter of the protests, which was renamed by the city as Black Lives Matter Plaza
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