A DSA-backed demonstration brought hundreds of protesters into Times Square on Saturday, with marchers demanding new leadership for the Democratic Party and singling out Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) as targets of their anger.
The rally, part of a broader “March for Our Democracy” following the midterm elections, drew signs rejecting both Schumer and Jeffries as the party prepares to take control of Congress in January. Organizers framed the march around demands for accurate vote counting, protection of election certification, and opposition to voting restrictions.
One protester told The New York Post the movement’s aim plainly.
“We don’t want corporate Dems in there. We’re calling the shots.”
The same protester, holding a sign reading “New Majority Leader,” added: “It’s not enough to just keep the status quo. That’s not what people want.”
The demonstration also carried an anti-ICE message. Marchers chanted, “Jeffries, Schumer let’s be clear … ICE is not wanted here,” calling for the immigration enforcement agency to leave.
Amid the signs and chants, one of Times Square’s best-known street performers offered a different take. The Naked Cowboy, Robert John Burck, walked through the crowd holding up a guitar bearing an image of President Trump.
“The only word I concern myself with is ‘veto.'”
The march illustrates the pressure building on Democratic leadership from activists pushing the party further left just as Democrats prepare to take over congressional majorities in January.
