“Not My President,” Atlantans Express in Trump Protest
(APN) ATLANTA — Thousands of Atlantans, led by Millennials, took over the streets on Friday night, November 11, 2016, chanting such expressions as, “Not My President!,” “F*ck Trump,” and “Love Trumps Hate.”
It was the third night of national protests to Trump’s election and racist policies since Tuesday’s election.
A World Without Police (AWWP) organized the night’s resistance to Trump’s stated plans to deport millions of immigrants, build a wall at the Mexican border, cancel funding for Sanctuary Cities, banning Muslims from entering the U.S., increase funding to assist local police, increase resources for federal law enforcement, and expand military investment.
http://aworldwithoutpolice.org/
Before the march started, organizers asked people in the crowd to make remarks, offering a wide range of concerns and views. Numerous people spoke, often not stating their names.
“My parents came to this country over twenty years ago and put their blood, sweat, and tears into this country. To think that people with the color of my skin will be kicked out of this country after putting so much work into it is despicable and disappointing,” a young woman with immigrant parents said.
“I will not wait for someone to knock on the door and tell me my marriage is invalid, or that my Spanish and Muslim friends are being deported,” one man, who identified as gay, said.
Trump’s campaign rhetoric has turned loose the dogs of racism, bigotry, sexism, and White supremacy, which have further divided the country.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has seen over 200 hate crimes since Tuesday’s election.
“This country was built on slavery and the murder of indigenous people. We are going to speak up and be heard today. It’s going to take all of us to turn this sh*t upside down,” one woman said.
“We come here tonight from different movements like raising the minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour, getting police terrorism out of Black and Brown communities, stopping the Dakota pipeline, and any capitalist endeavor to destroy our planet and resources we depend on, and to keep immigrants families together. We need to be for our issues and not just against Trump,” a union worker said.
“The city has gone through multiple transformation imposed by the City and the business elites and they have pushed poor Black and Brown residents out of this city. They are trying to turn the City of Atlanta into one big f*cking Buckhead. We see how White supremacy operates on a corporate level,” a White man said.
“This system is rotten to the core. We need to reach out and make alliances and put our bodies on the line to stand up to this bullsh*t. Immigrants and other minorities need protection,” a Native American from Mexico said.
“I’m out here to spread the word about Socialism and get people to be more class conscious to think about how it’s not just the Republicans who are screwing over the people it’s the Democrats too. They are both against the working class,” a young Socialist said.
“There is a nakedness to Trump’s racism, sexism, and classist opportunism that has made us all wake up to the path this county is on… The Democratic Party wants us to give Trump a chance. We won’t,” a press release from AWWP states.
(END/2016)
Trump will become our President in January and deserves our respect.
To paraphrase President Obama:
Elections matter.
Trump won; Clinton lost.
Deal with it.
Thank you for this great article. It allowed those of us who couldn’t be physically present, but were present in spirit, to experience the event. And it allowed diverse voices to be heard and recorded. Keep on keeping on!