LGBTQ, Muslims, immigrants, women and communities of color gathered in Long Beach recently to march in protest against President-elect Donald Trump.
On November 12th, more than 500 protesters gathered at Bixby Park, some with signs that read: “Trump is everything we teach our children not to be,” “Make America gay again” and “Hate doesn’t make us great.”
In this audio story, VoiceWaves Reporter Kathleen Fontilea interviews the city’s diverse community members and why they came together to protest Trump’s divisive rhetoric.
Transcription:
PROTESTORS CHANTING: Love Trumps Hate!
NARRATOR: Hundreds of people marched in protest against President-elect Donald Trump last Saturday evening, November 12th, 2016 in Long Beach, California. The demonstration began in Bixby Park where more than 500 protesters gathered. The protesters then marched around 7 pm, walking on Ocean Boulevard until reaching downtown. They turned on Pacific avenue and headed back to Bixby Park, where they would rally.
Protestors held signs that read: “Trump is everything we teach our children not to be,” “Make America Gay again” and “Hate Doesn’t Make us Great.” Some protesters waved the gay pride flag and donned it over their shoulders.
It was a peaceful protest. Entire families participated in the event, some bringing their children and even their dogs.
Xzochic Paiafox came to protest with her husband, Demetrius Cumming. Being a Latina woman in an interracial relationship with an African American man, she is appalled by Donald Trump’s rhetoric on minorities.
XZOCHIC PAIAFOX: People are quick to say the N-word, people with this Nazi stuff. Everything that he said that was foul, people are listening to it so know people think it’s okay. I’m here to stand up for the equality of all people, all races. That’s what we’re here for. To stand up for the people.
Obviously our votes didn’t count, now hopefully our voices will be heard. It’s 2016, we worked so hard. My husband, he’s African American, I’m Hispanic. We work so hard for our freedom. To be together, happy, without being judged.
PROTESTORS CHANTING: Donald Trump, you will fall! We will never build a wall!
NARRATOR: Maria Escalante, a 17 year old from Santa Fe Springs came to the Anti-Trump March voicing her concerns about the President elect’s position on latinos and undocumented immigrants. Trump plans to immediately deport 2 to 3 million undocumented immigrants who have quote, “criminal records” after his inauguration next January, according to the Washington Post.
MARIA ESCALANTE: “What made me want to come out tonight is that I want to stand up against Trump and what he believes in because our beliefs are very different. I believe we that we should welcome all immigrants, all refugees, everyone, with peace. I believe that blacks should have the same rights as everyone else and I just believe that we should not have such a racist and misogynistic person as president because he is very unfit to run the United States.
I don’t want him to have millions of immigrants deported because he’s going to break families. He’s going to break a lot of hearts around the country and he’s going to bring hate and crime to this country even more than there already is.
NARRATOR: Christopher Rogers came to the demonstration to protest against Trump’s position on gay marriage. Rogers expressed his dissatisfaction in Trump’s rhetoric towards women and minorities. He also shared what he hoped to accomplish through this Anti-Trump protest.
CHRISTOPHER ROGERS: The gay issue affects me the most because I’m gay and from what I hear, he’s trying to disband the marriage proposal that we get for each other and that’s what I’m totally against.
NARRATOR: Trump’s position on gay marriage has shifted back and forth. In an interview with FOX News in January 2016, Trump said he would appoint conservative supreme court justices that would overturn the Supreme court’s decision on same-sex marriage. But in an interview last Sunday, November 13th with 60 minutes Donald Trump said he was quote- “fine with it” and that same-sex marriage had been settled by the Supreme Court.
CHRISTOPHER ROGERS: The podium he stands on is full of racism. Things against women, things against minorities, things against Muslims. I don’t think the protest in the long run is going to get Trump out of office. I just hope that people in the world can realize and take into consideration what he’s doing to this country. He’s bringing out all the bigotry and hatred that this country has involved itself in and I really don’t want that to be the picture that everyone in America sees.
NARRATOR: This was Kathleen Fontilea reporting for Voicewaves. Thank you for listening.
PROTESTORS CHANTING: We reject the president elect!
