"Not My Presidents Day" (sometimes "Not My President's Day", or "Not My Presidents' Day") was a series of rallies against the president of the United States, Donald Trump, held on Washington's Birthday (an American federal holiday also known as Presidents' Day), February 20, 2017. Protests were held in dozens of cities throughout the United States. Demonstrations were also held outside London's Houses of Parliament.
The marches were mostly coordinated through Facebook. Organizers of the protest stated that although Trump was the president, they wanted to show that he did not represent their values. Los Angeles was the first city to plan a "Not My Presidents Day" rally, which was attended by more than a thousand protesters. New York City saw the largest demonstration, with an estimated 10,000 to 13,000 people attending a rally outside Trump International Hotel and Tower. The events were mostly peaceful, although thirteen people were arrested in Portland, Oregon.
Preparation and planning
The "Not My Presidents Day" protests were mostly coordinated through Facebook, like the original event in Los Angeles, whose details were spread through social media, inspiring other rallies. Before some rallies, there was a poster-making session.
The artist's collective, Bad and Nasty, helped coordinate events for "Not My Presidents Day". Holly Hughes helped create Bad and Nasty via social media. Hughes told MTV News, "I made an idle threat on Facebook [...] I would gather the Bad Hombres and Nasty Women of Ann Arbor together at a dive bar for performance on NOT My President's Day. And overnight more than a thousand people wanted in!" Other women involved in planning Bad and Nasty events were Lois Weaver and Mary Jo Watts. In Minneapolis, Bad and Nasty was involved with a performance called "This Machine", planning well in advance of February 20, 2017. The University of California, Riverside, also planned a Bad and Nasty event for President's Day.
The Women's March committee of New York city also aided in planning for Not My Presidents Day.
Locations and activities
There were about 400 protesters in Atlanta, where a peaceful demonstration called "ImPEACH Now! (Not My) President's Day March" was followed by a march from the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority's Arts Center station, near the Woodruff Arts Center, to Lenox Square, in Buckhead. Many of the people participating in Atlanta's event were first-time protesters. The event was organized by Matthew Williams of Democracy Spring Georgia. There were about 200 people at the rally outside the Maine State House in Augusta, Maine. The protest was organized by a young trans man, Jazpyer Harrington. Participants chanted "We need a leader, not a creepy tweeter" and sang "God Bless America" and "The Star-Spangled Banner".
Several hundred protesters attended a rally outside the Texas State Capitol in Austin, which was also attended by some Trump supporters. The demonstration was organized by a woman who resides in San Antonio. There were no major speakers; attendees took turns speaking into a megaphone. The rally started at noon and lasted until 3pm. The Baltimore protest was held along North Charles Street in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District. It lasted into the evening and, according to CBS Baltimore, had a reportedly "different tone than elsewhere in the rest of the country, with less protesting, more talking". Michele Minnick and Laura Pazuchowski were co-organizers of the event, which also attracted dozens of Trump supporters. A group called "Bad and Nasty' Baltimore" organized a day of art and activism, which included face painting, sign making, and a workshop titled "Our Democratic Heritage". Entrance to the event was on a sliding scale up to $10, with proceeds benefiting the state's chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (Maryland ACLU).
In Chicago, hundreds of protesters gathered at the intersection of Wacker Drive and Wabash Avenue, across the Chicago River from the Trump International Hotel and Tower. Estimates said there were 1,200 people; police reported no arrests. A group of 25 local musicians known as "Sousaphones Against Hate, Baritones Resisting Aggression" performed for the crowd. Wabash was closed temporarily to both foot and vehicle traffic. Former Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, was at the protest gathering signatures for a ballot initiative. A demonstration also took place in Columbia, South Carolina. About 40 people gathered at a rally in front of Great Barrington, Massachusetts' Town Hall.