Disrupt J20 Coverage from DC Direct Action News

On the 20th of January, protesters managed to get out in the streets and blockade Inaugural checkpoints in spite of a blizzard of harassment from Trump’s paid unofficial brownshirts. Police as well were unable to pre-empt lockdowns that shut down multiple Inaugural checkpoints. They had to physically pry SURJ off the fence at one point. At 10:10 AM 6 out of 12 checkpoints were completely blocked, with passage through the rest slowed to a trickle. In 2009 terms this is “purple tickets for everyone.

At about 9AM Bikers for Trump showed up at some checkpoints but the lockdowns had arrived first. At 9:30AM Unicorn Riot reported “Clashes between protesters and police/secret service in blockade at corner of 10th and E St.” but as of 10AM blockades are only getting stronger.

Not everything worked. The Anticapitalist bloc had a long way to go with the march-in from Logan Circle. A twitter report claimed the Bloc was “officially disbanded” after being pepper-sprayed but another report said the bloc was kettled, meaning a mass arrest or a fake mass arrest is possible. Reports of actual tear gas fired to disperse block, which then re-formed and was kettled, hundreds reported trapped. If this leads to a mass arrest it will be another Pershing Park-unless Trump changes the laws that is…

Shortly before 11AM the Mall was reported to be “empty as hell” with more protesters than inauguration spectators present. The blockades and the rain showers probably served up a double helping of “go home” to Trump’s fans at least as of the morning.

At noon, Union Station was reported “packed with protesters.” One of the few open checkpoints was overwhelmed with protesters going to ANSWER’s permit area and other areas (only bleachers ticketed) along the parade route. At exactly 4 min 20 sec into Trump’s speech, cannabis smokers lit up en masse as planned.

At around 12:30PM, Trump was officially handed the control codes for US nuclear weapons, a danger to the entire planet.

The rise of Trump requires “politics with no quarter asked or given.” In the Senate this means refusing the consent agenda, so that roll call votes on things like approving the minutes snarl and stop all other business just like a lockdown at a checkpoint. That would stop all Trump cabinet and judicial nominees and all GOP legislation behind an unsolvable logjam. It means fighting pipelines, fracking, and 287(g) style deportations programs state by state, county by county, city by city and never conceding an inch of ground no matter what happens. In the streets it means denying Big Business the ability to use infrastructure that belongs to the people, blockading business as usual until Trump’s corporate backing can be choked out-and orders Trump to tap out by resigning along with Pence.

Mass arrest of anti-capitalist march after police fire tear gas, 270 total arrests reported

Update 6PM: 270 arrests reported for the day, 6 cops injured. Mass arrest FAILED to stop battles between police and protesters in the K st (lobbyists Row) area, which went on many more hours.

With trump supporters being turned away en masse from the Mall by checkpoint blockades, the police have turned violent. Hundreds of marchers in the Antifascist/Anti-Capitalist Bloc were kettled, then unlawfully mass arrested after police firing tear gas for the first time in decades only temporarily dispersed the protesters. This was the first such mass arrest in 14 years. People are showing up “covered in pepper spray” at Disrupt J20’s rear area safe spaces. Reports of journalists being targeted. One ONE report of a broken window. Meanwhile down at the checkpoints, blockades are STILL holding out after 3 hours.

There are reports that the cops managed to trap the march in a narrow street or entry way, and that attempts to break out of the kettle were repulsed by firing both tear gas and flashbangs(high explosive grenades without metal shrapnel). The combination of potentially flammable tear gas with explosives is a formula for a disastrous flash fire. It has been decades since the DC police have used actual tear gas, possibly not since the 1991 Mount Pleasant Uprising. At least one protester was taken from the scene in an ambulance due to injuries inflicted by police.

Barring Trump managing to overturn centuries of settled constitutional law, DC is looking at Pershing Park III. and as a “three time loser” will likely face a very unfavorable settlement, quite possibly after Trump leaves office and is no longer able to intervene to protect those responsible. This is almost certain if Trump goes “four and out.”

In other areas, there were a few reports of Bikers for Trump assaulting protesters. Attempts by racists to break through a blockade earlier in the morning ended in failure.

Video: Disrupt J20-The Day In Resistance

Video compilation of the days’s events at the Counter-inaugural/Disrupt J20 protests against Donald Trump. Checkpoint blockades, Alex Jones expelled, heroes rescue elder and disabled protester from police attack during Battle of K Street, limo burns, marches go on well into the night after a 7AM start. This is but the beginning of four long, hard years of utter fighting against every scrap of Trump’s racist and fascist agenda.

Note that the heroes who stood up to Donald Trump on Jan 20 were said by the mainstream press to outnumber pro-Trump inauguration goers by as much as 3 or 4 to one. The police were the least numerous but most violent element, in the video you see a hero dive into pepper spray to shield and protect an elderly woman and a disabled protester with a crutch. You will also see neo-Nazi leader Richard Spencer getting a walloping punch in the face.

Activist warned there would be “no peaceful transition” and indeed there was none: J20 was well and truly disrupted!