Big Day In NY Politics: Dems Square Off In Brooklyn And Thousands Prepare To Shut Down Donald Trump In Midtown

As GOP hosts NY State Republican Gala in Midtown, thousands expected to protest outside with the explicit intention of shutting it down

New York City and GOP leaders are bracing themselves for some of the largest anti-Trump protests this campaign season, as thousands of people are scheduled to protest the New York State Republican Gala with the explicit intention of shutting it down outside the Grand Hyatt near Grand Central Station.

The event occurs in conjunction with two other noteworthy political events taking place in the city: The Democratic Debate in Brooklyn and a Bernie Sanders rally last night in Washington Square which drew over 30,000 attendees.

Today’s event in Midtown is a high status, black tie fundraising dinner for the GOP itself, not the Trump campaign, as fellow presidential hopefuls Ted Cruz and John Kasich will also be in attendance at the $1,000/plate reception.

“Trump’s rhetoric is an instigation to racist, anti-migrant and misogynistic violence,” said KaLisa Moore, part of the Stop Trump Coalition and Peoples Power Assemblies, “As a matter of self-defense and protection of New Yorkers, we intend to do what the city’s elected so-called leaders refuse to do – and shut down Trump from spreading his hateful message.”

While the only rally to successfully shut down a Trump event took place last month at Illinois-Chicago, it is not far-fetched to think it might occur again today in Manhattan. For one thing, the event is not a Trump rally; instead of enjoying the insulation provided by thousands of his supporters typically overwhelming peaceful demonstrators with physical violence, this is a GOP state fundraiser 5 days ahead of the NY primary, so Trump will not be the sole feature.

Adding more suspense and certainly heightened risk, the protest has no designated area, just generally around Grand Central Terminal beginning approximately at 5:30 PM, arguably the most congested spot in Manhattan at the most congested time in Manhattan.

While it remains to be seen how many protesters will attend today’s event, multiple Facebook groups are already showing numbers in the thousands. The main one, Shut Down Trump in NYC, has more than 2,000 confirmed attendees, and another, Protest Donald Trump at the NY State Republican Gala, counts nearly 1,500 attendees. The main group – Stop Trump Coalition – identifies itself as a coalition of “students, Muslims, migrants’ rights groups, and members of New York’s Black Lives Matter movement.”

Several smaller groups also have protest event pages, including the Fight for $15, a national coalition advocating for a $15 minimum wage across the country. They noted that Trump is against raising the minimum wage in any capacity, and this has served as a rallying cry to stand in solidarity with other organizers against Trump.

It is unclear what additional precautions the New York City Police Department will be taking to monitor the demonstration.

Injustice.in will be live tweeting and bringing you exclusive footage throughout the demonstration. Follow us on twitter @InjusticeIn for continuous updates.