Photo by Kayla Lahti.

The big “TRUMP” sign may no longer hang in front of the Old Post Office, but a slew of area elected officials and activists will protest there this Sunday “because it’s the closest thing we have to associate with this man of hate,” says D.C. Shadow Representative Franklin Garcia.

August 28 marks the anniversary of the March on Washington, a political rally wherein hundreds of thousands of Americans rallied on the mall and culminated with Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

“We chose that day to combat hate with a different tone,” says Garcia. “It’s important that we balance the discourse. We’ve heard of the insults and all of the rhetoric that Trump has spread on the campaign trail, on television and everywhere.”

Garcia says he will be joined by a number of faith leaders, LGBT activists, Latino groups, and African American rights groups to “carry the message of hope and unity.”

“Yes, it’s true we need to address many of the issues Trump is talking about, like immigration,” he says. “Let’s do it without the hate speech. We can improve Obamacare, but there’s no need to trash women, Muslims, and Latinos in the process of having a civil discourse.”

Despite the Republican nominee’s behavior on the campaign trail, Garcia is quick to emphasize that the protest is not about shutting down the forthcoming hotel. “Even though it’s unfortunate being overshadowed by the name ‘Trump,’ I think it’s a good thing for our city and it will create new jobs,” he says.

So does Garcia have regrets about Trump winning the contract for the historical building, which is technically owned by taxpayers? (Buzzfeed has been doing some great coverage of how the federal General Services Administration awarded the contract and the investments backing it.)

Garcia says that, because the building fell into disuse, “we actually celebrated that [Trump got the contract] and we were all very pleased. Associating yourself with the Trump organization was actually a good thing then.”

Now … not so much. D.C. elected officials’ apparent chumminess with Trump even became a minor campaign issue before the June primary, with now At-Large Democratic nominee Robert White tweeting photos of incumbent Vincent Orange with Trump, and Orange replying by placing blame on White for the deal.

But there are enough pictures to go around. Many of D.C.’s most prominent politicians, including then-Mayor Vince Gray, Mayor Muriel Bowser, and D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, were all there for the groundbreaking in July 2014. At that point, Trump had already been a prominent supporter of the birther movement, which spread rumors that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.

This isn’t the first protest of Trump in front of the Old Post Office. Less than a month after Trump announced his candidacy last summer, Garcia was one of many to demonstrate in front of the Old Post Office over his statements criminalizing immigrants.

There’s still the question of where, precisely, protesters are allowed. Free speech advocates are suing the federal and city government for clarity over the public’s access to the building’s front plaza and the surrounding sidewalk and street.

Garcia says he has a permit for Sunday’s demonstration, scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. on the corner of 12th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. “The permit is for protest in front of the hotel, not immediately on the sidewalk in front of the hotel.” He’s expecting attendance in the hundreds.

“We’re going to be out there in a peaceful way and talk about the good things,” he says. “How can you talk about America being so bad and then look at the Olympic medals we won? Is that the sign of a country doing so bad? I don’t think so.”

Another protest, organized by different groups (Garcia says he will attend that one too), is slated for the hotel’s opening on September 12.

We asked the mayor’s office for comment on the opening. “We hope the hotel will make Pennsylvania Avenue great again,” said John Falcicchio, the mayor’s chief of staff, in a statement.