About 200,000 people crowded in and around Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in Manhattan Saturday morning to take part in the Women’s March on NYC, according to Borough President Gale Brewer.
"We don't like that guy in the White House...we are not kidding," Brewer said.
Women and men alike milled about with signs that said "We the people are greater than fear," and "Women's rights are human rights."
Organizers said the Women’s March on NYC is for anyone unable to participate in the Women’s March on Washington, also planned for the day after President Donald Trump was inaugurated.
"We've come out to say women matter. We matter," Katherine Siemionko, a lead organizer of the march, told the crowd.
Actress Rosie Perez, who also spoke during an anti-Trump rally led by Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday, told the crowd that she was there to "let the administration know we are here...and we will be respected."
"This is the most beautiful thing I've seen in a very long time. I am so filled with love and hope," she said.
"Orange is the New Black" star Taylor Schilling also spoke to the crowd, firing them up before the march: "Women's rights are human rights. I''m here because I believe in the power of action and love to conquer hate."
"I think we can tell this administration that we are going to be heard and we are going to be seen," she added.
Astoria resident Johanna Valentine, 29, proudly sported her "nasty women" shirt. Valentine, a family nurse practitioner who came to the march with her mom, said the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and women's reproductive rights were especially important to her.
"It's very inspiring," she said, looking around at the crowd. "It’s great to see so many generations here today."
Sheri Steinmetz, 56, took the train down from Woodbridge, Connecticut, for the march. Her kids, she said, were marching in D.C.
"It's empowerment. We're excited to be here," said Steinmetz, a lawyer, adding she felt it was important to march for the simple fact that "we're Americans and Trump is our president. That's the best thing I can say without swear words."
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