March to the Palace Gates: Thousands March Against Trump Outside Mar-A-Lago

Protesters push a casket representing the "Death of Democracy" down Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach as President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, attend the 60th annual Red Cross Ball at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday Feb. 4, 2017. (Photo: Michael Ares/AP)

March to the Palace Gates: Thousands March Against Trump Outside Mar-A-Lago

It might be 'Trump Country,' but plenty of people in South Florida proved more than willing to join the resistance

Under the watchful eye of what was reported as a "heavy police presence"--and in an area one bystander described as "Trump Country"-- an estimated 3,000 people marched on President Donald Trump's beachfront estate in Florida on Saturday night, many of them holding signs calling for his ouster just two weeks into his term in office.

As the Miami Herald reports:

Protesters held colorful signs and chanted messages like "We want a leader, not a creepy tweeter" and "Hey hey, ho ho. Donald Trump has got to go."

Many said they were standing in support of Muslims, minorities and people they felt were at risk because of Trump's recent executive order temporarily banning travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries. Late Saturday, that order was tied up in the courts.

Lawrence Otremba, and his husband, Chris Busby, have been together for 18 years and got married as soon as it was legal. Busby said he was grateful for the hard work of activists that came before him and he wanted to use his privilege to speak up for others.

"I'm afraid for them. I'm afraid for those who don't look like me. Don't talk like me. And act differently than me. I can pass," Busby said. "You can't look at me and tell I'm married to a man. I can look straight. I'm afraid for the people who can't hide who they are."

After night fell, the marched reached the guarded gates of the Trump estate itself:

While watching the nearly mile-long procession make its way toward the estate, local resident Mark Golden told the Herald that this area was "Trump Country." Meanwhile, El Cid resident Dottie Anthony was standing in her neighbor's front lawn watching the protest when she told the West Palm Beach Post that she'd lived there her entire life and "never seen anything like this."

For his part, Golden said that while he voted for Clinton, he had "always liked Trump as a character." Now, however, he's not so sure and explained that it seemed like the new president is thriving on the "chaos" he has created in just two weeks. "It doesn't seem like you can be an effective president if half the country hates you," Golden told the Herald.

Though no arrests were reported, the Post reported a "heavy police presence" was monitoring the protesters and that "one West Palm Beach police officer could be heard talking about the possibility of using tear gas to disperse the crowd."

Watch this video posted by the Post:

In addition to the demonstration in West Palm, there was also a sizeable Saturday afternoon march and rally in Miami against Trump as well as protests and ongoing anti-Trump organizing efforts across the country.

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