It has been over a week since the 2016 Presidential Elections have culminated, and named Donald Trump our President-elect. Many news and media outlets coining it the “biggest upset” in presidential races. Trump managed to sweep enough states to win the electoral vote and sprint his way to victory, but many Americans are terribly upset. Despite losing the electoral vote, Hillary Clinton did win the popular vote, leading by over a million votes. For this reason, many passionate Americans are taking to the streets and protesting the election results.
Since the moment, America realized Trump would be their next president, demonstrators have taken to the streets chanting phrases like “we, reject, the president-elect” and “not my president.” Protests have popped up all over the nation, in places like, Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, Chicago, even our nation’s capital in Washington D.C. Particularly taking place in cities with large democratic bases: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, and Washington, according to CNN. While some demonstrators took to peaceful protesting, many others were laced with violent actions and harmful behaviors.
One such protest occurred in our very own backyard in Los Angeles, hundreds of people made their way onto the 101 Freeway, blocking both directions of traffic, and shutting it down for hours. Thousands also took to City Hall, voicing their frustrations. One rally lit a huge piñata of Trump’s head on fire. As the police force was sorely outnumbered, many had to walk the fine line of enforcing a peaceful protest and allowing the citizens this constitutional right and ensuring the safety of civilians on the street. One protests in downtown Los Angeles led to the arrest of nearly 200 people, including at least a couple dozen juveniles. Some Oakland protests turned violent; demonstrators were assaulting officers by throwing rocks and fireworks at them, vandalizing businesses, and cars, and setting over 40 fires in one night.
The older folks are not the only one’s upset; many high schools have participated in nation-wide walkouts. High schools in Los Angeles, Berkeley, Seattle, Des Moines, Phoenix, and D.C. participated in student-organized protests against the President-elect. One incident in a Maryland high school left one teen beaten up. A student wearing a “Make American Great Again” cap got confrontational with another student, fortunately he sustained only minor injuries. In Portland, students from a handful of middle schools were reported to have participated in the organized walkouts. Universities nationwide have also taken to the streets to protest. In Southern California, many college students participated in rallies, including UCLA, USC, Pierce, and East Los Angeles College who marched 8 miles to City Hall. Many demonstrators proclaim they are not protesting for a new president, but rather to bring awareness and make their voices heard.
A petition is going around, asking the Electoral College to cast its ballots for the popular vote winner, Hillary Clinton. The petition is said to have received over 4 million signatures.
Of course, there are the Trump supporters, and their rallies of celebration for their winning candidate. Many rallied outside the Trump Towers and the White House, exuding joy, and pride for Trump. One University in Kentucky spray painted a message “build that wall.”
So, what does our President-elect have to say about all the demonstrations going on nation-wide, protesting his victory and labelling him as unfit to serves as our Commander-in-Chief? Trump responded in the only way he knew how, he took to Twitter. He initially tweeted that the protest were “unfair,” proclaiming that he had won fair and square. A second tweet followed shortly after saying how he is so touched by the “passionate protesters.” In a 60-minute segment with Trump, the interviewer Lesley Stahl asked Trump if he had anything to say to the protesters. He looked directly into the camera and sternly said “stop it!”
Well, now that that’s settled we can all move on and back to our daily lives. But unfortunately, that is easier said than done. Many of Americans cannot simple “stop” their fears and concerns of what a Trump presidency means to them. Many are now living in fear of what their future may look like. Trump made a name for himself in the election with his strong views on anti-immigration, anti-gay marriage, anti-abortion, and pretty much his stance on the anti-Obama administration. Many are worried that his election into presidency will not move our country forward, but rather set our country back on all the “pro civil-right” progress we have made in the last years.
But whether your candidate won or lost, there is not much we can do about it, but continue to stay true to yourself, stay passionate about your beliefs, and fight for what is right, but be respectful in the process. Because we are the United States of America, we must now unite and come together, and find a peaceful way to heal our nation. And if you think that is not possible, and we are now too divided to pick our heads up and try to see the good rather than the bad, just remember what Obama said- yes, we can.