BY JOE ARCE AND COREY CRABLE
For the second time in just as many weeks, the Country Club Plaza on Feb. 8 was filled with the rallying cries of people protesting President Donald Trump’s policies at the start of his second term in the White House.
One participant, Carmen Price, said she is “fighting for all those who don’t have a voice,” especially undocumented immigrants.
“Obviously, everybody wants immigrants to come in the right way, but only one percent of those that apply can actually get into this country, not to mention the thousands and thousands of dollars that they put in towards their immigration status, and sometimes they don’t even get approved,” Price said. “And so, yes, immigration is a problem in this country, but we need to look at the root of the problem, which is the government and the systems they have in place to make it extremely difficult to become a citizen in this country.”
Meanwhile, Price said, Trump and his administration continue to mislead the American public and stoke the flames of fear.
“Trump has lied, period. Everything that he has come out of his mouth has been factually proven wrong. I don’t believe anything that this administration says. They’re deporting refugees from this country while simultaneously saying, ‘Let’s welcome the white South Africans back into our country,’” Price noted. “Why is it that the white refugees are OK, but people of color are not OK?”
Price cited Trump’s response to the two recent airplane collisions – in both cases, he blamed diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) -- as evidence that the president is only interested in dividing people. In addition, it’s not only people of color who have historically benefitted from the DEI policies that the Trump administration has squashed at the federal level.
“Breastfeeding, that was because of DEI. Veterans, DEI. Disabled people, DEI. The ramps that were made to put into buildings so that people with wheelchair access, DEI,” she said. “That’s what a lot of people forget. It’s not just about blacks. It’s not just about Mexicans. It’s more than that.”
Another rally attendee, Leslie Leyva, said she wants to do her part to eliminate corruption wherever it can be found.
“I feel like (the Trump administration) is targeting a lot of the minority communities, and I feel really passionate about that, because I come from immigrant parents,” Leyva said. “We have always been looked at as minorities. No matter if you were born here or not, they’re always going to look at us like, ‘Oh, the Mexicans, the Hispanics, the blacks.’”
Like the previous rally, the organizers of this rally were young. One of them, Farah Hubbard, is 18.
“Me and my friends, a couple of high school students actually came up with this idea. We wanted to speak up and just use the youth to speak up and make everything possible because I believe that the youth is the future,” Hubbard said. “I believe that we’re going to be the ones out here dealing with this (administration) the most. I just believe that it’s important for all of us to come out here and speak up and really make people understand that we too can make a difference.”
Seania Crowley, a co-organizer of the event, said she is happy to help members of younger generations find their voice as they work to make the world a better place.
“We see all of these kids and all these people standing up and wanting to do something and getting activated in response to Donald Trump and the new administration. I think it’s important to nurture all the new people coming into activism,” said Crowley, a transgender woman. “It’s important to help guide them and give them our wisdom, and that’s why I thought it was important to help these kids put this on. It’s been coming together amazing and they’ve been doing beautifully. I think the newer generation is always the most important when it comes to activism.”
Crowley added that she’s involved in the fight for transgender rights at the state level as well. Recently, she said she testified at a hearing in Jefferson City regarding efforts to roll back gender-affirming care for minors.
“They’re also going after gender markers, so I have not been able to change the gender marker on my ID or my passport or any of my information yet, and they’re now trying to roll back the ability to do so,” Crowley said. “I may never be able to have that opportunity, at least not in in the foreseeable future, and so they’re actively curtailing my rights to live my life and represent myself as my honest, authentic self.”
Carlos Canjura said a feeling of hate seems to be permeating every discussion about politics, and that he attended the rally to support the Latino community. Canjura, who brought his wife and child to the rally, said he feels concerned about the same hot-button issues that everyone is talking about these days.
“The economy – I mean, everything’s so expensive now. And what’s with the tariffs, Trump trying to take over Gaza? Taking over Canada, Mexico, the Panama Canal?” Canjura said. “Come on, it’s ridiculous. I don’t know where we’re going be in four years, but we need support like this rally all over the country.”