Protesters Plan Massive Anti-Trump March Ahead Of Tax Day In Chicago & Beyond

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jan 24, 2017 11:59PM

Women's March on Chicago / Photo: Tyler LaRiviere

Save the date. On the heels of what was by many accounts a resoundingly-successful, 250,000-person strong protest march/rally in Chicago (and elsewhere), another massive anti-Trump demonstration is rapidly building a wave of support.

The march is being planned for April 15, the Saturday ahead of Tax Day, at Millennium Park. And the point, organizers note, is to pressure President Donald Trump to release his tax returns.

"Like many people, I'm pretty alarmed at Donald Trump being commander-in-chief, particularly enriching his family with taxpayer and foreign money," Taran Brar, one of the Chicago protest's co-organizers, told Chicagoist. "He's bucking a long tradition where the public can see if you have any conflicts of interest. I’m guessing where there’s smoke there’s fire."

Like the Women's March that inspired it, the Chicago Tax Protest is just one of a larger network that are now being scheduled in cities across the country. Other Trump Tax Marches are now in the works for Los Angeles, Denver, Washington D.C., and beyond. Organizers for the Chicago edition are working with counterparts from other cities to best plan the action.

The response for the Chicago protest has already been immense. The Chicago Facebook event page was created on Sunday night; as of Tuesday night, 1,000 people had RSVP'ed with another nearly 4,000 interested.

The Tax Protest has "zero barrier of entry," Brar, a 30-year-old documentary filmmaker, is quick to underscore. The means that although Trump's dubious financial handlings form the centerpiece of the day's action, all are welcome and encouraged to demonstrate other threats posed by the Trump administration, he said.

"We want to see President Trump's tax returns so we can judge conflicts of interest, but it's an open group... Some people say the message gets muddled, but this Tax Day Protest is a very clear message: show us your taxes, Mr. President."

Although the event is in the very early stages, planners are already working hard to make sure the event can accommodate what could be—at least judging from initial interest—another major response." We're still working on permitting, but we reached out to legal teams" about moving forward with the city, Brar said.