Women's March On Washington 2017 Brings Massive Crowd, Floods DC Streets

WASHINGTON, DC — A massive crowd of protesters — far more than the 200,000 predicted — gathered in the district for the Women's March on Washington. Protesters filled the entire length of the 2-mile route for the march and stretched beyond the White House. District officials told press that a formal march wouldn't be possible, but protesters still march toward the Ellipse and gathered around the Washington Monument on Saturday afternoon.

It was one of the biggest demonstrations on the National Mall in years. By 11 a.m., the Metro transit system reported 275,000 passengers. That is eight times the standard Saturday traffic and beat total passengers on most weekdays, according to Metro. It is also 82,000 more passengers than Metro saw Friday morning.

Messages shared across social media showed groups filling busses, flights full of women and mothers and daughters on the train heading into the city. "This is the upside of the downside," Gloria Steinem told the crowd Saturday morning. "This is an outpouring of energy and true democracy like I have never seen in my very long life."

• Scroll down for a live stream and photo galleries of the Women's March on Washington.

The crowd size made moving around in the area of the National Mall difficult. Emergency vehicles could be seen at times slowly moving through the packed crowd. District officials told the press Saturday afternoon that a formal march wasn't possible, according to the Washington Post.

But organizers told the crowd they would still be marching, stressing that the crowd would need to be careful and patient.

Trump's comments about women and treatment of women drove a lot of interest in the rally Saturday. Along with Trump's rhetoric, new GOP leaders in Washington have targeted Planned Parenthood and abortion rights in recent years and may try again — this time with more power than ever.

There were lots of "pink" hand-stitched hats at the rally, but Judy Wheat of Arlington, Virginia, was wearing a red hat that looked like Trump's "Make America Great Again" hats that were popular on the campaign trail. But her hat read "WTF America." Wheat said, "This president doesn't represent anything I believe in."

The origin of the Women's March reportedly was a Facebook post by a grandmother in Hawaii who suggested a march on Washington after Trump won the election. She woke up the next morning to find her post had gone viral. That grandmother, Teresa Shook, told the crowd Saturday that the fight for women's rights and equality is more important than ever. "We can't give up," she said. "We have to keep fighting."

• Why They March: Three Profiles

• See more live coverage from the rally and march at Washington DC Patch on Facebook.

Metro reports parking is at or near capacity at nine stations. Metro reported ridership for Friday's inauguration was lower than for either of the Obama inaugurals. There were 193,000 riders as of 11 a.m. on Friday, 124,000 fewer people riding Metro than there were at President Obama's second inauguration and 320,000 fewer than his first inauguration in 2009.

Jake Gardner, of Omaha, Nebraska, a Trump supporter and volunteer during the election, stood among the crowd of anti-Trump protesters on Saturday in his "Trump" jacket with his dog in a "Make America Great Again" sweater. He said the marchers will be proven wrong, but that they were justified in speaking their minds. "These people just want to be heard," he said. "It's a very appropriate venue and a very appropriate weekend."

The rally began at 10 a.m. Saturday at the corner of Independence Avenue and Third Street SW. The program was expected to feature national advocates, artists, entertainers, and more. Appearances include Uzo Aduba, Cher, America Ferrera and Katy Perry. The rally will be followed by a march to the White House.

Hundreds of 'Sister Marches'

Women all across the country who couldn't make the trip to D.C. are hosting marches across the country. The growing crowd expectations at the Chicago rally required two venue changes.

In Atlanta, co-organizer Gina Gareau-Clark told Patch that the march is for all those who feel that their human rights are in jeopardy.

"As we come forward, you see color, you see gender, you may see religion or sexual orientation. But we are much more than that," Gareau-Clark said. "We are survivors of hate crimes, sexual assault, sexual harassment and domestic violence. We have been passed over for jobs and lived in poverty. We are disabled, face terminal illness and lost health care coverage. We were raised in interracial families, are interracially married, have multiracial children. And we stand together as allies, as friends, to learn about one another and the human rights issues we face."

At a rally in Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh welcomed the large crowd. "It's not what we do today that's important," Walsh said. "It's what we do tomorrow. That's what's important."

Lots of Pink Hats

We won't use the popular name for the hats. It's an anatomical reference alluding to Donald Trump's open-mic comment about grabbing women without their consent. The "Pink Hat Project" project began as a challenge to knit, crochet and sew thousands of pink hats to keep everyone's ears warm and make a statement at the same time.

Post includes reporting by Mary Ann Barton, Dan Taylor and Patrick Martin | Photos by Missy Toms, Patrick Martin, Katie Barton