Professional Anarchists is an ongoing photo series by Lisa Allen that aims to capture the peaceful demonstrations against the Trump administration and to meet the ordinary people behind them—to learn why they march and to put a face to the new resistance movement.
Visitors to the White House on the Fourth of July heard one song and one song only: “Do You Hear the People Sing?” The protest ballad from Les Misérables was sung over and over again by a flash mob organized on Facebook by the “progressive pranksters,” a group looking for a different and more light-hearted way to confront the Trump administration.
Ryan Clayton, Americans Take Action
“We’re the Progressive Pranksters. … We organize on the internet to impeach Donald Trump from the White House. … The 2016 presidential election was not a free and fair election, so the results of that election need to be overturned and we need to take this person out of the White House before he can do more damage to the U.S. Constitution, to the American people, and the reputation of our country around the world.”
Jason Charter, national organizing director of Americans Take Action
“Today is our Independence Day, and we overthrew a tyrant, King George, removed him from power and formed our own system of government, a democracy. We are a democracy. … The fact is Trump is a tyrant and we need to remove him from power. Today was also a good way for people to resist in a fun way and that’s what Ryan [Clayton] and I about—resisting in a fun and creative way, not just doing sit-ins or marches, but actually doing something that people would enjoy.”
Lisa Allen is a freelance photojournalist covering events and activities in Washington, D.C. She lives with her fiancé, cat, and guinea pig, and is a member of Studio Gallery in Dupont Circle.