Community Corner

Women's March on Washington Organizers: Don't Worry, We're Marching Jan. 21

Despite some obstacles with securing a permit with the National Park Service, the date of the march remains unchanged.

WASHINGTON, DC — Fear not, attendees of the upcoming Women's March on Washington: the march will happen on time and on schedule, despite initial permitting obstacles. That's what organizers of the march, which currently has 128,000 signups on its Facebook page, are telling everyone after reports surfaced that they were having difficulties securing a permit for the huge march on the National Mall on Jan. 21, the day after Donald Trump's inauguration as president.

In a statement titled, "Do Not Fret Over Permits," organizers blamed "misleading reports" for worries about whether a permit would be approved by the National Park Service, and stated that the "permitting process is underway and there are no issues in working with the relevant agencies."

However, organizers acknowledged that they would no longer be able to hold the march at the Lincoln Memorial as planned, but rather at a "location that is nearby the original."

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"I want to reassure you that we do have a permit application and have met with the permitting agencies. While our early plans announced that we would be rallying at the Lincoln Memorial, those plans changed and our updated rally site is another location in the city," Janaye Ingram, one of the organizers, said on the march's Facebook page. "We will not be releasing that information at this time because we are still in the permitting process and do not want to create further confusion. We are continuing to work with the National Park Service, Metropolitan Police Department, Homeland Security, Capitol Police, and other agencies to ensure a safe march with all logistics in place to accommodate the number of people we anticipate arriving."

What won't change is the date of the march, which is still planned for Jan. 21, 2017, the day after Trump's inauguration as president. Organizers claim that this is not an anti-Trump protest, nor is it a protest at all.

Find out what's happening in Washington DCwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

However, their statement seems to take a very clear shot at the president-elect:

"The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us--immigrants of all statuses, Muslims and those of diverse religious faiths, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Native people, Black and Brown people, people with disabilities, survivors of sexual assault—that our communities are hurting and scared. We are confronted with the question of how to move forward in the face of national and international concern and fear."

You can find out more about the march by clicking here.

Image via Women's March on Washington


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