Tens of thousands of people were ready Saturday to hit New York streets in a march for women's rights on the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration, pitting what one woman called "power at the polls" against an American leader she said was "scary."
The New York protest, which started in front of the Trump International Hotel & Tower by Central Park, was among more than 200 such actions planned for the weekend around the world.
"I'd be lying if I said that I'm not dispirited and discouraged over having to march yet again to register our opposition to this disastrous first year of the Trump presidency," said Peggy Taylor, a New York City tour guide and Manhattan resident.
She said that last year, she felt "a kind of euphoria" walking through the city with hundreds of thousands of participants.
This year, "the hard reality of what lies ahead of us has sunk in," she said. "I know that we have a long slog ahead of us to undo the damage that this man has inflicted."
Participants rallied before the march that was to conclude on Sixth Avenue in midtown Manhattan.
Organizers said they would participate because basic rights for women, immigrants and others are under attack. Among the goals of this year's march are getting more Democrats to run for public office and bolstering voter registration.
"Power at the polls," said a sign held by Cathy Muldoon, 52, a high school librarian from Dallas, Pennsylvania, who brought her two teenage daughters.
She said this year's action is set against the backdrop of Trump's presidency, which "turned out to be as scary as we thought it would be; I've not seen any checks and balances, everything is moving toward the right, and we have a president who seems to have no decency."
However, she said, the march "gives us a sense that we still have some power and that there is hope."
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