'Barack Obama Avenue' Supporters Rally In Front Of Trump Tower

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A few dozen protesters assembled themselves in front of the entrance to Trump Tower on Wednesday afternoon and let out a song.

"We're gonna rock down to Obama Avenue, and then we'll take it higher," the protesters sang.

When Elizabeth Rowin started a MoveOn petition in December to rename the Fifth Avenue block home to the crown of President Donald Trump's real estate empire, she had no idea it would ever result in a physical rally, much less a phenomenon with nearly half-a-million supporters.

"I thought it was hilarious, I thought I would start a petition for just for fun and I did not expect it to take off like this," Rowin said. "All these people say they want to keep it going because they like trolling the troll king, they like being able to poke the giant in the eye."

The sentiment was echoed by protesters at Wednesday's rally. With Trump's appetite for digesting media, it's likely he would see that people held a celebrator rally for Obama in front of his building.

"Will this current person in the white house see this and be annoyed? Probably," Upper West Sider Ellen said. "Let's see what kind of tweetstorm comes up."

Others said they joined the rally in order to show their displeasure with the president among like-minded liberal New Yorkers.

"It's fun, it's a way to show your displeasure instead of like, punching the wall. I recommend marching at all times," New York City resident Ted Gottfried said.

Despite the popularity of the petition, which has 437,085 as of this writing, it's doubtful that city officials will take action to rename the stretch of Fifth Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets after Obama. New York City street naming rules could get in the way — streets can only be named in a person's honor after they are dead, and any street renaming must get the approval of block residents — but there also may be little political support.

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson tweeted "we can find a better way to honor the greatest president of my lifetime than by trolling the worst president of my lifetime," in reference to the petition.

But the dubious odds didn't deter the dozens of protesters who stood in front of Trump Tower holding sings that read "welcome to Obama Avenue" and "Trump needs a time out."

"If there is enough of a groundswell, and they realize it is something to do just to irk him, just to distract him from enacting more harmful legislation, than in a way it's done its job," petition creator Elizabeth Rowin said.