Text & Photos: Nathaniel Shannon
I had to workย Thursdayย night, soย Fridayย morning, aboutย 2am,ย I headed to Washington, DC for the inauguration and womenโs march. I had mixed feelings about both. Either this shit is either going to be really beautiful, and really bring people together in a way that Kellyanne Conway and the rest of Trump’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants are desperately trying to rip apart. Or a bombshell of human garbage are going to eat a political Chipotle burrito, and really let loose. There is no need to rehash the fear, concern, and fart-filler words of the shit show of the 2016 election. Things in America are tense, for both sides. Both parties. Black, white, yellow, man, woman, cat, dog, bird, even shitty snakesโฆ.the entire world realizes we are about embark on a funky expedition into a political ruling that has never existed in a such a technologically-dependent, lazy, entitled, and apathetic world before. I donโt need to tell you that a reality star won the election, just like failed actor turned governor Ronald Reagan didโฆand how the use of social media has effected every aspect of the election. Pros, cons, fakes, truth, nudes, dudes, boobs, whateverโฆ.so I was very much interested in the possibilities of riots and mayhem, and the beauty of women coming together with the support of whomever chose to join them. This idea of a bubble-bursting America never dawned on a vast number of the population. As a documentarian and social justice satirist (I just made that shit up!), I obviously just spent the last paragraph juicing my own propagated opinionโฆ.I really want to document both sides. A) Because fuck Trump. B) Because why do people buy his wolf tickets? I think making good pictures requires opinion to not stand in the way of representation of differing sides to a battle that really has no answer other than: Americans are fed up, and donโt really know where to place their energy, other than blasting each other on social media, which is as pointless as thinking that Line dancing isnโt just the Hustle for white people. I digress. High five if you made it this far.

Nathaniel Shannon
Fridayย morning I had a weird surreal moment watching my friend Devin Yalkin photographing the protests, and post a live instagram stream while I was also watching the news, and saw him run across the street on the news while watching it via his live feed. Technology is bonkers. I made my way down to where the action was going down around Ave I and 13thย street. Protesters had lit a trashcan on fire and people were burning Trump shirts. There was a Black man on the corner yelling โFuck Trump, buy one of these shirts to burn, so I can feed my family.โ Within minutes, a police van approached the scene and someone threw a brick through the passenger window. The crowd momentarily scattered.
I made my way down to the entrance of the Bulls on Parade, and was frankly bored. Nothing about the Presidential parade, or Trump supporters, really seemed interesting to make photographs of.ย I did overhear (missed the photograph) this Trump dude that looked like that dickbag from CREED call some girls whores after they asked him if he could even spell his own name, and ask them when was the last time they “went on safari.โ ย I have no idea what that meant. I wandered around for a few more hours and made some photographs. Cool story.
Saturdayย was the Womenโs March. I arrived at the historic Mall aboutย 11am, after a hellish train commute full of pink hats and people singing such inspirational jams, as โThis land is our landโ (which it wasnโt until we slaughtered a race of people and took it over) and โWe shall overcomeโ (which was also ironic listening to a subway train full of white peopleโฆ).

Nathaniel Shannon
The Mall was packed, and sure enough, it was impossible to get anywhere near the speaking stage. I was honestly really looking forward to maybe seeing Maxwell. That dude can sing like a motherfucker. People kept coming and coming and coming. The signs were fantastic, and peopleโs attitudes were great. The overall vibe was really inspiring. Toddlers to the elderly, all shapes and sizes, colors and genders.ย I really donโt like being in big crowds, and other than a disruptive situation going on in my stomach after drinking too much coffee, coupled with the sheer panic of realizing my entitled white ass had to go use a port-a-potty that had been sitting out for two days, Iโve never felt so calm in a sea of millions or possibly billions of people. The march started aroundย 1pm. Initially heading down Independence Ave down to the White House, the Mall and surrounding areas were so packed, that at its start, the March spread (from my witnessing) at least as far south as Independence, north to the mall, Constitution Ave, and Pennsylvania Ave. It was wall-to-wall people. Probably the best vibe of a crowd Iโve ever experienced. I photographed all the way up to the White House and decided it might be a good move to get out of the city before everyone tries to leave. Seeing a wall of people that extended at least 10 Avenues, and double that in streets was mind blowing.

Nathaniel Shannon
I really wanted to see some shit set on fire (besides a trashcan) and burn down the white house. I believe in violence when needed, and think sometimes people need to just get knocked out. I honestly didnโt really sit down to write this because I wanted to. I was gonna say a few things and post my photographs, but it just kinda came out.ย I know this a metal site, and this is not about how Lars is the worst drummer ever, or about some new sick atmospheric Black Metal band that recorded all their guitars threw their mom’s panties in a cemetery on a boat blessed by Odinโs cousin Jerry from Queens. But the Womenโs March was the first step not in showing a political system that we donโt buy their bullshit, but the first step in showing the rest of the country that we arenโt going to be divided, and our strength will grow in numbers, and we are all here for each other as motherfucking humans.ย It was really beautiful. I might even say “Oh dude, it was so sick!!โ Itโs ok to shed a tear through your corpse paint, or do a little whammy bar squeal. Itโs ok to have fucking feelings and share them with a community. That is progress.
Alright, thatโs probably the last political thing I will write untilย 4 years from nowย when Trump gets elected again, and I can finally drink Mountain Dew out of a drinking fountain.
