WASHINGTON (AP) — A few dozen protesters were gathered along the Inauguration Day parade route on Pennsylvania Avenue invoking the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King's legacy and urging jobs, not war.
The protesters from the anti-war group ANSWER Coalition handed out posters saying "Dr. King's Legacy ... Jobs Not War."
Brian Becker, director of the coalition, said the group chose to focus on messages that would resonate with a pro-President Barack Obama crowd.
In addition to the poster focusing on MLK's legacy and jobs, protesters also had signs saying "Indict Bush Now" and "Drone Strikes (equals) War Crimes."
The group was granted a tiny patch of land on the route to conduct its protest, but in the morning hours before the parade began, coalition members roamed freely over several blocks.
The nation is honoring King on Monday — the same day as the ceremonial inauguration of President Barack Obama, the first black president, to a second term.
Across from Freedom Plaza, the D.C. government was making its own effort to get its message across. A parade review stand for city officials who for decades have lobbied for congressional voting rights was emblazoned with the sign "A More Perfect Union Must Include Full Democracy in DC."