It's the day after we gave Donald Trump the most prestigious office position in this country, aka, the presidency. If you were on social media today or caught the news, you know that many people are upset and will not tolerate this decision. So what do we do next? We organize, we unite, and we fight. We did just that tonight in downtown Los Angeles.
We met in front of City Hall, I got there around 8:45pm. There were thousands of people in the streets, on the steps of city hall, in the park across the street, on the street posts, and walking the streets to get to the rally. We were all civil to each other, helped each other find the courage to not back down. My boyfriend & I packed extra bandanas for those who felt the need to protect their faces and even made some last minute anti-bigot posters.
By 9pm, we are walking down Spring St, the march has begun. Chants vary from "Fuck Trump" to "Black Lives Matter" to "Pussy Grabs Back" & one of my personal favorite chants was when the women would yell "My body, MY choice" & the men would reply "Her body, HER choice". The night was filled with smiles and compassion from my neighbors and fellow californian's. November 9th is a night I will never forget, while November 8th 2016 is a night I hope to forget.
We continued our march into skid row and some of the homeless citizens joined in the march while they had the chance. Some people tagged the walls, but most people were stopped by others that would ask them to stop politely. People even were preventing fights from happening between protestors. We were not there to waste time on violence and arguments, bigger work was at hand.
Maybe the most memorable (and emotional) parts of the night was when we were walking towards the jail in downtown. I saw the two buildings in the distance and noticed something. I was confused but quickly realized something... they supported us. Who is "they"? The inmates. They were flashing their cell's lights and banging on their windows, cheering. It was so loud, you could hear it from far away. We were there to help the oppressed and the United States jailing system is made to keep oppression alive and functioning. We chanted to them "We see you" and also "Education, not mass incarceration" to show our support for them.
We ended the night back at city hall. This time when we returned, cops were armed with riot gear so people started ton feel somewhat uneasy. People were talking about the protestors on the 101 freeway and the cops shooting and setting gas off on them. Some of us tried to get onto the freeway but were blocked by LAPD. And that's when I called it a night.
Tonight was just the beginning. I hope more of you get motivated enough to step up and fight for what is right. There will be a rally on Saturday November 12th starting at Macarthur Park in Los Angeles and ending at the Federal Building in DTLA from 10am-12pm. If you have the time, I strongly encourage you come. Stay safe everybody and protect anyone who needs it.
All photos and videos (via snapchat or instagram) are taken by Samantha "sam tha cat" Herrera.