Just Across Memorial Bridge, Saturday Rally Mixes Early Voting Push With Fight Over Proposed Arch

ALEXANDRIA, VA – A politically charged but visually unusual regional event will unfold just across the Potomac Saturday morning, with a 21-foot mock arch, voter-information tables, music and a march across Memorial Bridge.

Third Act DMV says its “No Kings: Vote Early” rally begins at 10 a.m. Oct. 17 just south of Memorial Circle, between Arlington Cemetery Metro and Memorial Bridge. Organizers plan to step off for a march around 11:15 a.m. and finish at the Lincoln Memorial Plaza around noon.

The organizer’s media advisory lists former CNN journalist Jim Acosta, former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff Miles Taylor, ACLU of Virginia executive director Mary Bauer and organizer Tara Hoot among the speakers. The program also includes the Raging Grannies, Rapid Response Choir, and DC Activist Street Band.

The Alexandria connection is practical as well as geographic. Many city residents use Memorial Bridge to reach Arlington and Washington, and Metro’s Arlington Cemetery station is closed this weekend as part of separate Blue Line work. Metro says shuttle buses will serve the station.

Organizers describe the event as a nonpartisan early-voting mobilization and a protest of a proposed monumental arch at Memorial Circle. The route itself is part of their message: Memorial Bridge links Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial along one of the region’s most recognizable ceremonial sightlines.

The Zebra has asked organizers for a real high-resolution photograph of the mock arch or an earlier rally, exact photo credit and confirmation of federal-event approvals. Those items should be confirmed before publication.