HOUSTON – More than five hours ahead of Super Bowl LI, before the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons even arrived NRG Stadium, the anti-Trump protests kicked off.

At noon, about 500 people gathered for a march starting at Hermann Park. They broke into a loud chant, bellowing: “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go.”

Less than 30 feet away, 15 police officers on horseback were lined up, and a helicopter circled. The groups participating in the march that was scheduled to follow a two-mile route to the stadium included Black Lives Matter, the local Democratic party, the ACLU and the communist party, among others.

Among the protesters was Jane McEldowney, 62, a lawyer and licensed mental health professional from Houston. She said she began joining protests shortly after the presidential election in November.

“I count myself among the complacent until now,” she said. “I have been inspired by Donald Trump, not how he intended.”

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