State Rep. Eric Johnson’s son William was among the protesters at the Women’s March. (David Taffet/Dallas Voice)


UPDATE: Dallas police said 7,000 people attended the Women’s March. This estimate was drawn from photos taken from police helicopters that hovered above Pike Park, the march’s destination. The 10,000 figure was an estimate from police officers on the ground near the step off point.
ORIGINAL POST:
More than 10,000 people marched today (Jan. 20) to protest Donald Trump and to call for equality on the one-year anniversary of the inauguration of the current president. An hour later, more than 100 people gathered at Dallas City Hall to call for Trump’s impeachment.
The Women’s March stepped off at 10 a.m. from St. Paul Methodist Church in the Arts District and proceeded a mile to Pike Park near the American Airlines Center.
The march may have attracted more people than last year’s Women’s March which was held soon after Trump took office.
The upcoming election was one reason for the increase in attendees. A number of political candidates walked with groups of supporters. Early voting for the Texas primary begins in just a month.
Counter-protesters appeared at Dallas City Hall for the 11 a.m. rally. Twenty white men counter-protested including one who carried a green neo-Nazi flag emblazoned with K’s where the swastika would be on a Nazi flag. They were loud but largely ignored by the anti-Trump protesters. When a transgender man spoke to the impeach crowd, the Nazis shouted, “There are only two genders,” and to calls for Trump’s impeachment, the Nazi’s chanted, “Seven more years.” That one got the crowd laughing.
It’s not clear why two separate demonstrations took place. The City Hall protest was more specifically to call for impeachment. But no one at the Women’s March chanted, “Ho Ho, Hey Hey, Donald Trump has got to stay.” Signs throughout the Women’s March called for impeachment of the president.

Part of the 2018 Women’s March that began on Routh Street across from Booker T. Washington High School.


City Councilman Adam Medrano, left, chose the Women’s March for his protest.


Pro-Trump white supremacists counter-protested the Impeach Trump rally at Dallas City Hall.


Impeach Trump protesters gathered at Dallas City Hall.

 — David Taffet