Trump election sparks outrage at City

Sandro Juarez Newscene contributor

Shaylyn Martos

The election of Donald J. Trump as president has sparked contrasting, strong reactions across the country. While many celebrated his win, residents in major cities and students on campuses across the United States, including in San Diego, have begun protesting the Republican candidate and his plans for the country.

The day after the election members of various City College groups organized a protest against the president-elect that drew more than 100 students. And four days later, more than 1,000 people protested his election in Balboa Park.

Trump, a real estate mogul and reality TV star, won the election with 306 Electoral College votes to Hillary Clinton’s 232. Clinton conceded via phone call at about 2:30 a.m. Eastern time on Nov. 9. Trump addressed his supporters shortly afterward and took the opportunity to call for unity between political parties.

“Now it’s time for America to bind the wounds of division; we have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.”

Clinton publicly conceded later that morning. She voiced her support for the young, female, LGBT, and differently abled communities across the country. She expressed her disappointment of the results, but said, “Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.”

Trump released his agenda for his first 100 days in office in late October. His plans included repealing the Affordable Care Act, which allowed 20 million Americans the ability to get health care; and canceling President Obama’s executive orders, such as the one that created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that protected from deportation more than 1 million undocumented immigrants who were brought to this country as children.

Trump’s plans also included imposing term limits on all members of Congress and instituting a five-year ban on White House and Congress officials becoming corporate lobbyists after their civil service.

At City College, reaction from students and faculty to the election results varied significantly.

On Nov. 9, organizations such as the Puente Project, M.E.Ch.A, and the Urban Scholars Union organized a protest at the MS quad from around 12:30 to 2 p.m. The students held homemade signs and chanted, “Let’s Stop Trump!,” and “Sisters, brothers, have no fear! Immigrants are welcome here!” They called for students to unite against the Trump Administration, which they said did not represent marginalized communities.

The organizers opened the megaphone to any student or faculty who wanted to speak. Students shared their personal experiences of being assaulted and suffering discrimination, drawing support from the crowd.

“Yesterday was a triumph for white supremacy,” said Mychal Odom, a Black Studies professor at City. He and other educators spoke about the importance of civil protest in the United States.

Xena Ramirez, an Anthropology major, stated that when she found out Trump had won the election, “A lot of what I was feeling was fear for my family.”

As members of the Latino community, they had received multiple negative comments during Trump’s campaign.

Ramirez explained that as a lighter-skinned “white-passing” Latina, she had a responsibility and opportunity to shed light on the discrimination that affected her family.

A Muslim student who asked to remained anonymous said, “I’m scared, but my faith, Islam, teaches me to fear the Creator more than the creation.”

Timo Agee, PEERS advocate and Psychology major, said he was apprehensive of both Trump and Vice President-Elect Mike Pence because of their views on mental illness and homosexuality.

During his run for Congress in 2000, Pence advocated on his website for tax dollars to be used to fund “conversion therapy” and for Congress to not recognize same-sex marriage.

Agee stated that Trump and Pence’s views that sexual orientation is “changeable” and subject to therapy were “going to make the coming-out process much more difficult” for those in the LGBTQ community.

While some protested at City others expressed support for the president-elect.

Music business major Drew Avery said he voted for Trump. He agreed with the president-elect in that, “The American citizens should come first in jobs and stuff like that.”

But Avery said that he felt Trump wasn’t the best option for the office. He said would have voted for Bernie Sanders had he received the Democratic nomination.