ASRA NOMANI: The professional protest machine behind today’s ‘People’s March’
As anti-Trump protesters swarmed the steps below the Lincoln Memorial Saturday, media outlets painted a feel-good portrait. NBC4 Washington declared on social media: "Grassroots groups are descending on the capital for the People’s March before President-elect Trump’s inauguration." The Associated Press reported that anti-Trump "demonstrators" "converge" on Washington, D.C., for protests led by the Women’s March, a "grassroots movement."
The Washington Post described the protests as a "joint effort among civil rights, racial and social justice and reproductive health organizations," highlighting the event’s "diverse mix of people."
While this positive media coverage may have captured the energy of ordinary protesters, they omitted one critical detail: the name of for-profit professional machine behind the protest.
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Far from a spontaneous outpouring of civic action, the event was coordinated by Movement Catalyst LLC, a for-profit company based in Silver Spring, Md., and the official permit holder for the protests, according to a copy of the permit, which I obtained from the U.S. National Park Service. In the 1990s, covering international trade for the Wall Street Journal, I was among the first reporters to put the term "AstroTurf" into the paper’s pages, describing a coalition against tariffs on minivans that the auto industry called "grassroots" but was actually manufactured by an industry lobbying group. Protest organizing isn’t much different nowadays, and today’s "People’s March" is more AstroTurf than "grassroots." So too is the march planned for Monday, when we can expect more aggressive rabble-rousers to show up, as I reported earlier this week.
A plan, marked "Confidential Document - Not for Distribution" and submitted as part of the permit application, reveals that Movement Catalyst and its team of professional protest organizers coordinated everything from security to dumpster pickups, "port-a-potties" and a meticulously detailed "run of show,"
The confidential document reveals the extraordinary precision with which this event was constructed, down to the golf carts, water stations and even snack distribution for staff.
Why does this matter? Because the public deserves transparency. When media outlets frame such events as grassroots, led by ordinary Americans gathering to voice their concerns, it misrepresents the reality. These are highly coordinated, well-funded initiatives driven by professional organizers. The lack of scrutiny obscures the financial, strategic and political interests behind these movements. It’s critical to follow the money and understand the players using the imagery of grassroots activism to advance their agendas. Often, media outlets will look at conservative events, like the March for Life, with skepticism and scrutiny, while deeming progressive causes as "grassroots." We should have equal-opportunity transparency.
So, what is Movement Catalyst LLC? According to Washington, D.C., government records, it is a limited liability corporation established in February 2021. On its website, Movement Catalysts promotes its for-profit services, writing it’s an "experienced and interdisciplinary team of strategists, organizers, campaigners, and researchers" who launch "strategic projects to meet the moment," partnering with organizations to "expand their ability to have an impact, and anchor movement infrastructure." Its officials didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The People’s March is one of those "strategic projects," and the company’s services include "strategy & campaign development" and "creative protests & events." A look at its funding reveals the scale of its operations. In 2021, Movement Catalyst LLC received $592,050 from the New York-based Sustainable Markets Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit for "web campaign development," according to its IRS Form 990 filing. Then, in 2023, Philadelphia-based Workers United, working on "organizing the unorganized collective bargaining," paid Movement Catalyst LLC a total of $319,600, according to its tax filing. The services provided? "CONSULTANT." This is far from a "grassroots," mom-and-pop operation run over a kitchen table.
The confidential document lists four top officials at Movement Catalyst, as "protest leads":
The document also includes a polished map for staff and volunteers, marked "FOR INTERNAL USE - STAFF & VOLUNTEERS," detailing traffic flow and staging areas at Franklin Park, McPherson Square and Farragut Square. The "Production Schedule for People’s March" reveals the granular level of planning: "Portable restrooms," "Golf carts," "Tents," "Stage," Tables," "Chairs," "Leaflets, pamphlets," "Signs, banners," "Bullhorns" and Movement Catalyst for "Paid Team Clean Up."
"Miscellaneous" items include walkie-talkies, "500 cardboard trash receptacles," "5000 masks," hand sanitizer, earbuds, "snacks for volunteers and staff," "coffee and catering for staff," sweatshirts, scarves, t-shirts, "office supplies" and "badges for staff."
Mortell Industries provided restroom trailers, "Metro Golf Car" delivered golf carts, and Bell Visuals managed live-streaming. The permit lists "Site Security" as "Omni Ranger Solutions." Bell Visuals, a D.C. company quietly behind many of protest messages projects around the nation’s capital, is listed among the vendors for live-streaming.
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The "PRODUCTION SCHEDULE" and "RUN OF SHOW/RALLY PROGRAM" was scripted with leaders and performers from many big-money organizations, including the Women’s March, Popular Democracy in Action, Standing Up for Racial Justice, Harriet’s Wildest Dreams and Dream Defenders. Movement Catalyst promised to provide at least 750 "identifiable marshals," each wearing "hi-visibility vests and volunteer credentials."
This level of professionalism is not new in modern protests, but rarely are the details disclosed so explicitly. The public has a right to know when well-financed organizations use the guise of grassroots activism to promote their interests. Transparency ensures accountability and enables a more informed discussion about the role of professional activism in shaping public discourse.
Behind the music, speeches and banners lies a highly coordinated operation, far removed from the grassroots imagery projected by the media. This matters because democracy thrives on truth, and understanding who pulls the strings is essential for an informed citizenry. Professional organizing is most certainly legal, but in this day of misinformation, it’s critical to examine who is driving movements cast as "grassroots," so the public isn’t misled.
Sunday morning's plans, from 4 a.m. until 5 a.m., includes a final essential: "Load out dumpsters and portable restrooms."