ACTIVIST CULTURE

AFTER THE ELECTION: LOVE TRUMPS HATE

Donald Trump won the presidency on a message of hate and fear-mongering. Trump's promise to build a wall across the US-Mexico Border, his promise to ban all Muslims, and his promise to mass-deport all illegal immigrants were the promises that got him elected, but that does not mean that Trump will be able to keep those promises without a fight.

THE ACLU vs MUSLIM BAN

On January 27, Donald Trump put his Muslim Ban into effect. This Muslim Ban placed a halt on peoples coming into the United States from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Syria, Somalia, and Yemen. However, when the ban took effect in the middle of the day, incoming passengers at the JFK airport were detained when they landed in the United States despite having valid visas or green cards.

At the JFK airport in New York, 12 people were detained for over 19 hours when the Ban was put into effect. This included Hameed Khalid Darweesh, who was an Iraqi translator that worked for the United States army for over ten years. He can be seen on the image to the right.

When the Ban took effect, hundreds of thousands of protesters flooded the JKF airport premises, demanding that the detainees be released, and that the ban be lifted. Thousands chanted "let them in"and many brought signs saying "Refugees Welcome Here" and "No Ban, No Wall".

In addition to the civilian protests taking place at the JFK airport, the New York Taxi Workers Union publicly announced that they would not be picking up anyone at the JFK airport to protest the muslim ban. Click on the image to view the original tweet.

The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and several other groups filed a mass class action lawsuit and decided to fight against the ban, saying that it was unconstitutional and inhumane. On the very same day, a federal judge sided with the ACLU's lawsuit, and halted Donald Trump's travel ban. All 12 detainees were released and able to go on with their lives after being held up at the JFK airport for 19 hours. The Travel Ban halt was nation wide, effectively defeating Donald Trump's Muslim Ban.

Throughout the campaign trail, Donald Trump sparked outrage, and protests wherever he rallied. Donald Trump’s rallies attracted a staggering amount of protests from a diverse range of peoples ranging from individuals of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, members of the LGBTQ communities, as well as many Mexican and Muslim individuals.

Describe your image.

NOT MY PRESIDENT

A common sign and chant amongst protesters during Trump Rally Protests was the slogan "Not My President". The slogan expressed the anger and dissatisfaction that people had towards Donald Trump leading in the poles. It was not just people who supported the Democratic Party that would protest "Not My President". Even Republican supporters protested with "Not My President" signs when Donald Trump was given the official Republican nomination to represent the party against Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump was chosen over other Republican Candidates like Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, and Marco Rubio amongst 21 other candidates. The fact that Donald Trump was deemed more qualified than all other 21 candidates angered many Republican Supporters, and as such many of them took to the streets with many other peoples to denounce Donald Trump as being the Nominee for the Republican Party.

After Donald Trump won the presidency, the slogan "Not My President" grew ever more popular, with the slogan being chanted in front of the Trump Tower in downtown New York and at JFK Airport. A similar protest also took place when he rolled out his immigration ban. To this day, there are still many people, both Democratic and Republican who denounce Donald Trump as President, and the saying "Not My President" grows ever more popular.

VIOLENCE AGAINST #BLACKLIVESMATTER PROTESTERS

At multiple Donald Trump rallies across the US, Many peoples of the #BlackLivesMatter movement showed up en masse to rallies. It is no secret that there is a lot of racial tension at Donald Trump Rallies, with 58% of Donald trumps supporters being white, and only 8% being black, and as a result many members of the #BlackLivesMatter movement got into physical altercations with pro-trump supporters at rallies.

At a North Carolina rally, an African American protester was sucker-punched by a Caucasian male while being forced to leave the rally. In addition to this, after being sucker-punched he was tackled by law enforcement while the Caucasian male who assaulted him was not held accountable for any of his actions.

In another rally at Louisville an African American protester was shoved and physically assaulted at a Trump Rally. The protester was called various profanities, some of which were racist, by a largely caucasian crowd, highlighting some of the racial tension and blatant racism that often took place at rallies

TRUMP'S RESPONSE

Instead of encouraging a peaceful environment at his rallies, Donald Trump instead edges on his supporters, and uses them almost like an army to help eject any protestor that attends his rallies. Trump supporters are quick to anger and often get physical with protestors, and Donald Trump knows this.

Tensions run high at Trump Rallies with Pro-Trump supporters ready to mobilize on any protestor.

Trump himself knows how aggressive his supporters can get, and instead of discouraging violence he endorses it. He tells his supporters to “GET THEM OUT” whenever a protestor is at a rally. It doesn't stop there. At a Rally in Nevada, Donald Trump said he personally would like to punch a protester in the face. Donald Trump himself endorses the use of violence against protesters and activists at his rallies.

"ID LIKE TO PUNCH HIM

IN THE FACE"

-Donald Trump

President of the United States

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Goldberg, Michelle. "Protests, Confusion, and Fear at JFK Airport on Day One of the Muslim Ban." Occupy.com. N.p., 28 Jan. 2017. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. <http://www.occupy.com/article/protests-confusion-and-fear-jfk-airport-day-one-muslim-ban#sthash.1fzPQDjd.dpbs>.

Woolf, Nicky, and Julia Carrie Wong. "Protesters chase and attack Trump supporters in San Jose – as it happened." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 03 June 2016. Web. 22 Feb. 2017. <https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2016/jun/02/donald-trump-san-jose-rally-protesters-clash-supporters>.

"US elections: Violent protests at Trump New Mexico rally." BBC News. BBC, 25 May 2016. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. <http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-36376491>.