DC protesters brace for cold weather ahead of inauguration

Washington, DC is preparing for the presidential inauguration to move indoors as freezing temperatures arrive over the weekend. While the cold may deter some protesters, law enforcement and organizers told ABC News that more protests and larger events are still planned over the weekend.

One of the weekend’s biggest events is the People’s March, which takes place on Saturday. The march, a feminist-led progressive movement, aims to raise awareness about reproductive freedoms just days before President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration. The event is a rebranding of the 2017 Women’s March to bring attention to key issues, including LGBT and reproductive rights, DC state relations, and environmental issues. Organizers expect more than 50,000 attendees, according to permits filed with the National Park Service.

Tamika Middleton, executive director of the Women’s March, noted that the march is a group effort.

“We are all marching for different reasons, but we are marching for the same cause: to defend our rights and our future,” she said.

“As Trump assumes the presidency in January, we are coming together to mobilize our collective power and stand against his efforts to roll back our rights and freedoms,” Analilia Mejia, co-executive director of Popular Democracy in Action, said in a statement.

“This is the first step in a long, renewed struggle for a more perfect union,” Mejia added.

Although the People’s March is expected to go ahead as planned, some weekend organizers have adjusted plans in response to sub-freezing temperatures forecast for Inauguration Day. Several outdoor ceremonies have already been moved indoors due to concerns about cold weather.

CODEPINK, a grassroots movement for peace and social justice, is planning several protests in Washington and New York, including an appearance at the People’s March and a theatrical protest in Washington emphasizing peace and reallocating war funds to meet public needs.

The organization said that “these events provide a contrast to the anti-immigrant, anti-climate justice and militaristic rhetoric the incoming administration is bringing.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton will lead a series of events in Washington and New York marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which coincides with Inauguration Day this year.

“On the eve of Donald Trump’s second term, we must be clear as day: Dr. King did not march, preach and give his life so that we would one day retreat into the shadows of hatred and division,” Sharpton said in a statement.

“The man who has made it his mission to suppress the vote, demonize diversity and roll back our rights will take the oath again, and this moment calls for us to be louder, stronger and more determined than ever to keep Dr. King dream alive,” he added.

With several major events happening in the district, no credible threats have been made to the nation’s capital. Twenty-five thousand law enforcement officials, including 4,000 officers from across the country and 7,800 members of the National Guard and airmen from Washington, DC, along with 40 other states and territories, are expected to arrive in the district on Saturday and Sunday. The National Guard will serve in a support role and will assist with crowd management, traffic control and emergency services.

“The Secret Service’s number one priority, along with our law enforcement partners, is the safety and security of our protected individuals and members of the public participating in this historic event,” US Secret Service Washington Field Office Special Agent Matt McCool said in a statement on Thursday .

Thirty miles of anti-scale fencing, the most used for a National Security Special Event, will be deployed for the dedication. Drones, rooftop police officers and tactical teams will be part of a full slate of visible and invisible security measures in Washington this weekend.