It’s going to be a busy week in Washington. On top of the demonstrations and counter-protests expected to take place around the RNC, Al Sharpton is holding his March on Washington and activists are taking to the streets to demand postal service emergency funding and protest police killings.
Here’s a roundup of some of the actions taking place in DC this week.
Monday
FTP March for Jacob Blake: Protesters will gather in Columbia Heights Plaza at 6:30 PM to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Video appears to show Wisconsin police shot Blake in the back at close range Sunday night. More information can be found here.
Tuesday
#SaveThePostOffice Demonstrations: The American Postal Workers Union is staging protests at post offices around the nation to petition for emergency Covid funding for the USPS. In the DMV, there will be actions in Northeast DC, Arlington, Greenbelt, Silver Spring and Capital Heights. The demonstrations will kick off at 11 AM. More information can be found here.
Maryland Republicans: Maryland Republicans are planning an event at Lafayette Square and around the Ellipse from Tuesday afternoon into the late evening. They estimate a crowd of up to 10,000, though its unclear whether that number is accurate.
Wednesday
Capitol Hill Vigil: From 11 AM to noon, Ward 8 residents will gather at Capitol Hill and 1st St. SE to demand a new pandemic relief bill that will provide the emergency funds needed to keep unemployed individuals afloat.
DC Bike Party: To “act in solidarity” with the March on Washington demonstrators, the DC Bike Party is hosting a “Ride on Washington” at 8 PM at DuPont Circle. The ride will benefit the Palm Collective and Earl’s First Amendment Grill, both of which support the Black Lives Matter movement. Find more information here.
Potential RNC demonstrations and counter-protests: DC officials have marked areas around the South Lawn, Mellon Auditorium, and the Trump Hotel as spots for potential RNC demonstrations and counter-protests.
Thursday
Amazon Protests: The Congress of Essential Workers is organizing a demonstration in front of Jeff Bezos’ house at noon to demand better conditions for and treatment of Amazon workers. Find more information here
Maryland Republicans: Maryland Republicans will be back at Lafayette Square and the Ellipse Thursday afternoon ahead of Trump’s official acceptance of the GOP nomination.
Go-G0: ShutDownDC, the Palm Collective, and Long Live GoGo are putting on a concert outside the White House to “drown out Trump’s RNC nomination speech on the South Lawn.” The concert will run from 9 to 11 PM at 17 St. and Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Find more information here.
Fireworks: There will be a fireworks display at the National Mall at 11:30 PM after Trump makes his speech accepting the GOP nomination. Event organizers said they expect the event to draw protesters.
Friday
Al Sharpton’s “Get Your Knee Off Our Necks” March on Washington: Sharpton’s event will open to demonstrators at 7 AM, and official programming will run from 11 AM to 1 PM. Held on the 57th anniversary of MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech, protesters will hear from activists and victims’ family members at the Lincoln Memorial, then march to the MLK Memorial. More information about the march can be found here.
Have any more information about this week’s events? Email jrecker@washingtonian.com
This list will be updated as new information arrives
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated the Maryland Black Republican Council was involved with planning the Maryland GOP’s events. Though the Council was originally listed on the National Park Service permit, the Council had declined to be involved with the Maryland GOP’s events, and their inclusion on the permit was in error.
Jane is a Chicago transplant who now calls Cleveland Park her home. Before joining Washingtonian, she wrote for Smithsonian Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she studied journalism and opera.
