The Women's March on Washington continued despite reports to the contrary. Attendance exceeded organizers' expectations.
We're still marching! #WomensMarch pic.twitter.com/m7fAFtEzLN
— Women's March (@womensmarch) January 21, 2017
Parks Service Spokesman Mike Litterest said that although the permit for the event has been withdrawn by organizers, parks officials will not try and clear the National Mall, where hundreds of thousands of people have gathered for the march.
While walking in Northwest D.C., the Secret Service blocked off portions east of the White House grounds, not allowing protesters to enter certain areas.
During a Facebook Live, a member of the Secret Service said the reason the barricades were up is because "they have people working" and "cannot do their jobs" with so many people advancing toward the White House.
The Associated Press previously reported that due to the massive turnout at the event, organizers couldn't lead a formal march toward the White House. The AP cited a District of Columbia official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official isn't authorized to speak for the march.
The official said there could be more than half a million people on the Mall, but it's difficult to estimate because low cloud cover is making aerial photographs impossible.
Crowd size has caused plans to change at a women's march in at least one other city. So many people have turned out for the Women's March in Chicago that organizers have canceled their plans to march through downtown. Instead, they'll extend the ongoing rally on the city's lakefront. Organizers said far more people than they were initially expecting turned out in Grant Park along Lake Michigan, and overflow areas are being used.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
