Presidential Protest
The Outcry of the People
Beginning on November 9th, 2016, as the news reached the country of Donald Trump winning the election, outrage poured over the opposing side of the election. Protests began gathering Wednesday night, from Boston across the country to Los Angeles. Police estimated nearly 5,000 protesters in the streets of New York City after the 45th President of the United States was announced.
The protest rallies were in major cities with large Democratic bases such as Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, and Seattle. Groups gathered with signs, protesters took to the streets and gathered around the Trump Tower in Chicago.
One slogan among the protesters was “Not My President”. Protesters claimed to not accept the newest POTUS. “Love trumps hate” is also another popular slogan amongst the Anti-Trump rally demonstrators.
On Wednesday, young citizens marched to the Los Angeles City Hall and burned a pinata head depicting Donald J. Trump. In Austin on Wednesday afternoon, protesters blocked a highway.
A major factor in the protests are the young people of the nation; students. At the American University in Washington, students burned an American flag. Students across the country walked out of class in high schools and colleges the day after the winner of the election was announced.
Berkeley High School in California: about 1,500 students walked out.
Des Moines, Iowa: hundreds of high school students walked out to protest the election results.
Phoenix: 200 students from Carl Hayden High School left school and went to the state capitol.
Trash fires were burned on a California highway, and the Oakland Police Department estimated about 6,000 demonstrators had marched by Wednesday night.
What started as mostly peaceful protests have turned profane and wild. Pinatas and flags are being burned, highways blocked. In Portland, Oregon a 14-year-old boy is facing charges of attempted murder from perching on a bridge and shooting a protester in the leg.
Famous icons have also taken their own vocal action in the wake of the election. Singer Lady Gaga attended a protest, posing on top of a sanitation truck with a sign advertising “love trumps hate.” Television actor Tammin Sursok posted a photograph of her daughter, captioning it, “I’m sorry we failed you.” One Direction member Niall Horan, however, rooted for the calmer side, telling fans to “grin and bare” with America’s new president.
No matter what side citizens took on the matter and are still taking on the matter, the protests have been going on for six days straight, now. The American people are on the edge of their seats waiting to see how everything will pan out.