By Jamil Oakford/ editor-in-chief
Photos by Peter Matthews/The Collegian
“Tell me what democracy looks like!”
“This is what democracy looks like!”
Impassioned and incensed chants echoed along downtown Fort Worth’s Main and Commerce streets Nov. 11. With gawking bystanders in storefronts and stopped cars at red lights, between 50 to 100 protesters took to the streets.
As they marched down Main Street, they were met with some emphatic agreement and support from those eating dinner or horns from those in their cars as they passed by, adding to the cacophony of sound.
But they were also met with snide comments shouted loudly from passing cars and people who just stared in startled silence as they passed one storefront and the next.
As the public processes the results from Election Day, some of Hillary Clinton’s supporters aren’t taking President-elect Donald Trump’s victory peacefully.
Protesters gathered in front of the old courthouse on Throckmorton Street to protest specifically the Electoral College, urging members to vote their conscience and to vote with the candidate who won the popular vote.
Peter Matthews/The Collegian
“I’m out here tonight because I cannot stand by who the Electoral College is going to possibly choose to run this country,” TCC student Holly Williams said.
She said she took part in early voting, and she campaigned for Clinton.
“I stood in front of this courthouse with a huge Hillary sign,” she said.
Williams was planning to attend the Inauguration in Washington if Clinton won.
“When the day came, something just came over me, and I just knew that America was not smart enough to do it [elect a woman] yet,” she said.
Many of the protesters expressed fear for what a Trump presidency could look like.
Scott and Cody Pressure, who were married last month, were afraid that a Trump presidency could undo all of the progress the LGBT community made during Obama’s two terms.
“I’m upset and angered that people who are not gay just rolled the dice and decided, ‘Oh, we’ll just see what he does,’” Scott said. “We’re here to stand up against that.”
Some who attended the protest missed their chance to vote.
“I didn’t get to vote Tuesday because I was working most of the day,” South student Trina Keefer said. “That’s why I came out tonight.”
The protest was met with a single counterprotest from Trump supporter Paul Martin.
Martin showed up with a Confederate flag and a sign that read “Si Trump Puede!” meaning “Yes Trump Can!” Early into the protest, the police removed him from the anti-Trump protesters due to a safety issue.
“They pushed me on the stairs, and I hurt my ankle,” he said, addressing the incident. “I want to go back over there and the police said I could, but they also said it would be difficult on them.”
Martin tried to resume his protest in front of the courthouse when the anti-Trump protest took to Main Street, but by the time the group arrived again, police took him across the street again because they were worried Martin’s presence was causing too much tension.
“I feel like nobody cares what I think,” he said. “I have every right to be here tonight, just like they do.”
