Women’s March draws 1,500 people in Las Cruces

Lots of women — and men and children too — gathered at Las Cruces’ new downtown plaza on Saturday to join people across the world in marches protesting President Donald Trump on the day after his inauguration.

Organizers, who were initially planning for 50 people to attend, estimated that roughly 1,500 showed up at Plaza de Las Cruces. The Women’s March was the second largest gathering to date on the new plaza, which opened in 2016. A Christmas event drew an estimated 2,000 people in December, a city spokesman said.

People met before the event at the Southwest Environmental Center to make signs and drink coffee. They marched on sidewalks around downtown with signs and chants. And they gathered on the plaza to hear speeches and sing songs.

The event was peaceful, and this reporter saw no counter-protesters. The weather forecast had predicted rain, and while it was cold and windy, there was no precipitation.

Such large political gatherings are rare in Las Cruces, though an estimated 1,200-1,400 people showed up for a tea party rally in 2009.

Scroll through the photo gallery above to view scenes from the march.

A prior version of this posting incorrectly stated that the Women’s March was the largest event to date on Las Cruces’ new plaza, not the second largest.