The enormous volume of people crowded together in one place rendered cell towers all but dysfunctional which made it tough to get my bearings. After crossing a few more blocks of marchers at a standstill, I finally came across a group that was making some progress (if rather slowly) heading West along 42nd street, and I joined up with them.
Access to some of the intersections was closed off by police barricades, blocks before vehicles would encounter marchers, but in other places cars were stuck and nearly encompassed as they waited for people to pass. There was never really a break in the marching, though, so I’m not sure how long those drivers decided to stay put before demonstrating some of that famous New York patience…
The sun decided to peek out through the overcast skies at this point and it was awe inspiring to see the march silhouetted by the light pouring into each valley of midtown high rises as we crossed 3rd, 4th, and Park Avenue. It was also around this time that police presence increased from seemingly every direction, including the air, though it didn’t compare to the blockade that we would soon encounter entrenched around Trump Tower’s newly established demilitarized zone.
The atmosphere remained jovial, however, and it was reassuring to see most of the police interacting with the crowds in a positive way; a good reminder that there’s a difference between the institutions that Trump now controls, and the people who operate within them.
There was still one more leg of the march to go as we approached 5th Avenue, and it felt as though the momentum increased as we drew closer to the 58-story monstrosity that represents Trump in our city.
david.watkis.blog 