Tuesday was a night that shocked the entire country. The moment we finally realized the joke about potentially having a misogynistic and bigoted United States President had become a reality was sobering (to say the least) for many.
Unless you’ve been living on another planet (which sounds pretty great right about now given the circumstances), you know that Republican nominee Donald Trump has won the US presidency, sending chilling waves of horror down the spines of minorities, the LGBTQ community, and women across the county. Though he might have legally clinched the White House with over 270 electoral college votes, a vast number of youthful Americans took to the streets last night to let the world know that Trump is indeed not their president.
Thousands gathered peacefully to condemn the President-Elect throughout major metropolitan areas such as New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and many others. Despite the fact the Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama attempted to quell the anger by asking their base to accept the election results, it wasn’t enough to stop demonstrators from hitting the streets to condemn Trump’s comments on women and numerous verbal attacks on immigrants.
The protests even took place in cities within full-blooded Republican state, such as Atlanta, Dallas, and Kansas City. Protestors roared on through the night, chanting phrases like “Not my President” and “Donald Trump, go away! Sexist, racist, anti-gay!” The largest demonstrations took place within New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, where thousands marched with a wide variety of signs that ranged from “Love Trumps Hate” to “Fuck Trump”.
Though a majority of the demonstrations were peaceful, the massive protest in the city of Oakland resulted in two injured police officers and two burned patrol cars. In Los Angeles, a giant papier-mâché Trump head was burned in front of City Hall, while others spray painted profanity aimed towards the newly elected president on the Los Angeles Times building and on vehicles belonging to the news organization.
This makes it quite clear that a majority of the youthful voters in the country were all-in against Trump. Now that the worst case scenario has become a reality, these demonstrations seem to stem from the helpless anger and frustration many of us are feeling. It’s an especially bitter pill to swallow considering that Clinton won the popular vote, but ultimately lost in out outdated electoral college system. In an election cycle that was primarily driven by fear and hate, it seems like those emotions may be starting to come to fruition.
