Guest column: What two students learned from yesterday’s Trump rally

Seniors Aiswariya Ramaswamy and Susie Song protested the Trump rally last night; the two of them share what they learned together about the benefits of social activism.

Susie Song and Aiswariya Ramaswamy

“They’re ramming horses into people! They’re trying to get them back on the curb,” yelled the man holding the “Dump Trump” sign.

From the outskirts of the crowd, we strained our necks and stood on our tiptoes to make sense of the commotion, but all we could see were the heads of police officers and the manes of their horses bobbing above the crowd.

Then, we heard the hiss – the discharge of pepper spray. Screams engulfed the sidewalk. We were no longer peaceful protesters, but Black Friday shoppers, shoving and scrambling, vying for breathable air. Behind us, a man fell to the ground, racked with coughs and trapped in the panicked stampede of boots surrounding him.

Coughing, we stumbled into the nearest store and watched through the glass windows as the scene unfolded. A man emerged with severe pepper spray burns, his face bright red and shiny with tears. Some protesters sprinted down the block to Cosentino’s Market and returned with gallons of milk, which they poured on his face to calm his irritated skin.

After the pepper spray dissipated and the protesters congregated again, several grew angry. An elderly man screamed at police officers: “You maced me for no reason!” Trump supporters began filing out of the rally and several protesters met them with jeers and insulting gestures; one woman went as far as to shout death threats at the supporters.

Though this exemplifies the chaotic image of Trump protesters broadcasted in the media, only a minority of the protesters we witnessed acted in this manner. What the media did not cover was the mother with a “We Love Refugees” sign who chanted, “Love trumps hate!” as her young daughter danced beside her. What the media did not capture was the young girl who wept behind her “KC’s No Place for Hate” sign, terrified by some nearby protesters taunting Trump supporters. What the media did not broadcast was the vast number of protesters who were entirely peaceful.

Many believe protesters are intolerant to the other side, yet one of the most memorable moments of the night unfolded during our conversation with two Trump supporters, a single mother and her young son. We listened to the woman’s reasons for supporting Trump. As a “Daughter of the American Revolution,” she explained that her family was rooted in conservative values. She went on to dissect all the other GOP candidates and their flaws, bringing up issues such as Rubio’s perception of weakness. While we were impressed by her scope of knowledge, it was shocking to see the extent to which her surroundings and family influenced her political views.

Surprisingly, she was also quick to acknowledge Trump’s flaws, admitting that his KKK comments were wrong and that he lacked certain morals. But her ultimate reasoning for supporting Trump’s presidential campaign came down to his “love for America” and her belief that “he can’t make it any worse than it is now.” While we personally couldn’t agree with her statements, it was interesting to learn about the opposing point of view. We no longer viewed Trump supporters as enemies, but rather as people with different opinions. By the end of the conversation, a sense of mutual respect was achieved; we ended on amicable terms.

Our first experience at a protest was a memorable and largely peaceful one. Although anger and fear were present, the vast majority of the protesters that we met were passionate and cheerful citizens. Even the majority of the Trump supporters we approached were earnest and open to discussion. Personally, we witnessed no violence other than the police’s dispersal of pepper spray.

That night, many were there to fight against the societal acceptance of Trump’s hateful rhetoric. Others felt compelled to participate in and observe the political process. Whatever the reason, hundreds of people stood together on Main Street that Saturday night and made their voices heard. In the face of social injustice, the answer isn’t to remain silent. We’re glad we exercised our First Amendment right to assemble and peacefully voice our thoughts. We witnessed the impact and power of protests and the importance of doing it the right way, while respecting the views of others.

Political engagement and activism, especially among youth, is important and should be encouraged. We support the notion of high schoolers getting involved in the 2016 presidential election in any way they can. Research candidates; attend a rally; attend a protest, peacefully. No matter what you think you can learn from media coverage, the only way to form your own opinions without the bias of a news source is to form experiences firsthand. The scent of the pepper spray, the surge of the crowd, the chants of the protesters – these are all real memories, things you can’t get from low-resolution video clips aired on television.

We left the protest that night with itchy throats from pepper spray, a firsthand perspective of the protests we had only before seen on TV and a greater understanding of the other side. As we walked away from the Midland Theatre, the remaining protesters cheered Kendrick Lamar lyrics into the night, “We gon’ be alright. We gon’ be alright. We gon’ be alright.”