Thousands Rally for 'Not My President's Day' Protest in NYC

Many people across the country had off from work and school for President's Day. And some decided to use their free time to protest the current president and his policy. Thousands rallied outside Trump International Hotel in Manhattan for one of the national "Not My President's Day" protests against President Trump. People chanted "Not my president" and "Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go" as they lined up down Central Park West.

The nationwide rallies started with one in Los Angeles that soon spread to other parts of the country through local organizers. In New York, one of those organizers was Beth Cavagnolo. She said putting together the New York leg of the "Not My President's Day" protest was the first time she had ever organized a rally, let alone a rally of such size. But after volunteering at the Women's March in January, she applied what she learned from that protest to organizing Monday's rally. Cavagnolo said that it was meant to protest Trump and his policies, especially those that she said go against New York City values.

"I hope these people here today feel that their voices are being heard..." Cavagnolo said. "For people to really show up, to bring their signs, and to bring their voices, it's incredibly powerful. This is what democracy looks like." 

Among the crowd, people held signs like "Hands off the ACA,"  "The Disaster Administration," and "Impeach." Sarah Nasaif held a sign that read "Is this how you repay the people who gave you falafel?" A student studying in New York from Bahrain, Nasaif attended the rally to protest Trump's immigration policies. Despite her student visa, she said she is afraid that if she visits home, she won't be able to come back into the country. But Monday's protest gave her hope.

"Like, it's the only thing to make a change, like your voices," Nasaif said. "And it just feels so powerful here, like with all these people."

This was the first protest Nasaif had ever been to. But the "Not My President's Day" rally also drew long time protesters like Richard Rice Allen. He said he's been protesting since Nixon. On Monday, Allen was decked out in a top hat and cape with a huge sign made of several smaller signs. Allen said it grew every time Trump did something new that needed to be protested or was just plain ridiculous. He started wearing the outfit when he decided to protest outside Trump Tower on 5th Avenue before the inauguration.

"This [protest] is a way for other people to say 'Maybe I can make a difference,' or 'Maybe my voice does matter.' That's why I started this whole outfit over on 5th Avenue," Allen said. "I had several people since I first started come up to me and say, 'I saw you and started calling my senator, my representative,' which is what anyone can do. You don't have to dress up and act silly."

Jess Minardi said she came out to protest all of Trump's policies, but the most important one for her was the Dakota Access Pipeline, which Trump recently allowed construction to continue on. 

"Right now, the pipeline's proceeding and once it goes through - it's also going through their sacred land," Minardi said. "It's just not right. It's inhumane."

A block over from the rally, near the blockade entrance, a different kind of protest was going on. Two lone Trump supporters held signs reading "Thank God for Trump," and "Get over it." Jim MacDonald has attended several anti-Trump rallies as part of the group New Yorkers for Immigration Control and Enforcement. He said he supports Trump because he believes in strong borders for the U.S. and that people "who are not Americans" should be kept out.

"We are here to remind people that it was Donald Trump who won the election, he is our president," MacDonald said. "What is wrong with these people? He is the president of the United States. They are acting like they would be happy if he died. They are traitors."

Protesters like Christiana Birch didn't see themselves as traitors, but rather as concerned citizens trying to make their voices heard. Birch came out to protest because her mother was an immigrant and because she felt that as a black woman, her rights were in danger.

"We're not going to stop, we're not going to back down from all these things," Birch said. "Like, yes, he is our president but that doesn't mean we still don't have a voice as the people. If there weren't people like us, there wouldn't be a movement."

New York's protest was one of many "Not My President's Day" events happening across the country. Similar rallies took place in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC and other cities.