RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The Latest on the annual march on Raleigh led by the North Carolina NAACP (all times local):
2 p.m.
A massive crowd has come to North Carolina’s capital for an annual civil rights march beefed up by protesters energized in opposition to President Donald Trump and to a state law limiting LGBT rights.
The “Moral March on Raleigh” in downtown Raleigh on Saturday was led by the North Carolina NAACP. Participants carried signs promoting issues from gerrymandering and immigration to public education.
Trump’s election and the North Carolina law known as House Bill 2 were on the minds of protesters like Dave Ruden of Cary. He says Trump’s presidency has led him and his wife to work for a moderation of fevered national politics.
Raleigh police don’t provide crowd estimates. Event organizers predicted 20,000 people. The surface area that the crowd covered neared the march’s previous peak from 2014.
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4 a.m.
Thousands are expected to attend an annual civil rights march that in recent years has focused on fighting the conservative-leaning agenda in North Carolina state government.
But Saturday’s 11th annual “Moral March on Raleigh” led by the state NAACP also will include speakers focused on opposition to actions by President Donald Trump, particularly on immigration. Other rallies held in Raleigh this year have been critical of Trump.
Saturday’s protesters also plan to push for the repeal of House Bill 2, which limits LGBT rights and which bathrooms transgender people can use. Other topics will include opposition to gerrymandering in redistricting and to the repeal of former President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
The march begins near Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium and ends near the old Capitol Building.
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