The inauguration of President Donald Trump spawned a local protest in downtown Rochester Friday and more are planned on Saturday.
On Friday night, about 50 people upset with policies they are concerned will be implemented with the new administration and Congress started marching from the Liberty Pole, heading down Main Street.
Police stopped traffic on East Main, as well as parts of South Avenue, Broad, and Chestnut Street as the protesters marched through the area. There were no other problems reported.
On Saturday, there will be other protests and rallies to coincide with a women’s march on Washington. In downtown Rochester, organizers say there could be around two thousand people or so at an 11 a.m. rally at Washington Square Park.
Nicole Black, a local attorney is one of the organizers of the “ Action Together Rochester Rally, “ and she says those involved want to take a stand about some of the language that was used during the presidential campaign.
“To make a statement against the hateful rhetoric and to let Rochester’s voice be heard to show that we don’t accept that, we stand behind the marginalized people in our society that are most likely to be affected by a lot of the policies of this administration.”
The rally on Saturday is from 11am to Noon, and then moves over to the First Universalist Church at South Clinton and Court Street.
An even larger gathering is expected in Seneca Falls at the Women’s Rights National Historical Park from 10am to 4pm
Organizers of the march in Seneca Falls started out planning for about 400 people, they now expect between 3,000 and 6,000 to show up.
There will be speeches and events Saturday afternoon in the First Presbyterian Church where Alice Paul in 1923 introduced what became known as the proposed equal rights amendment.
There will also be a Jumbotron TV set up outside the church for people to watch the event.