Women’s rights, a free Palestine, defeating the Republican agenda, immigrant rights, the end of war and LGBTQ+ protections.
The Coalition to March on the RNC offered messages on all those topics and more as it snaked through downtown Milwaukee Monday afternoon.
The coalition, formed by more than 100 groups nationwide, spent more than a year preparing for the march. Its efforts included suing the City of Milwaukee for a permit to march its own route near Fiserv Forum and developing a team of medics and organizers to support the disparate groups.
Co-chair Blake Jones said the primary mission Monday was to “show the Republicans that their hateful and racist agenda is not welcome here.”
In the months leading up to the march, co-chair Omar Flores stressed the group would hold a “family friendly” and peaceful march. On Monday, it appeared they delivered on that promise. Flores, in an interview, estimated 3,000 people attended, but added, “maybe I’m being optimistic.”
The group was big, but the large contingent of international media members and police officers circling through the area made it tough to precisely measure the numbers.