De Anza students protest inauguration of President Donald Trump
The sun set over dark rainclouds that abated as drum beats held strong. A traditional Mesoamerican dance group blessed the four directions and had protesters at Frank Ogawa Plaza take a knee to bless the protest. Trump had just been inaugurated in the morning, and people of many races facing oppression for centuries weren’t going to lie down and submit.
Member of the De Anza Political Revolution club, a victim of student homelessness, an Afro-Latina and woman: Viana Marie Lopez Roland, 23, political science major, took to the streets and joined the “Anti-Capitalist March” around Downtown Oakland protesting the inauguration of President Donald Trump. She is one of many whose grievances may go unheard by the three federal branches for the next four years or more.
Other De Anza students joined the march of 500 protesters. Some of the protest chants of the march were: “Not my president” and “Fuck Donald Trump.”
Roland gave a speech on student homelessness at a San Jose protest earlier that day. Many events in her life inspired that act, “I dealt with instability of housing, sleeping in my car, sleeping at random people’s couches and showering at De Anza throughout my whole college career, so it’s something I’m really passionate about. It’s a serious issue right now, especially in Santa Clara County and throughout the Silicon valley as prices for living have skyrocketed while gentrification takes place in our neighborhoods It’s left a lot of poor people, a lot of people of color without places to stay … I was a victim of student homelessness I think it’s kind of ridiculous in one of the richest states, California which is the 6th largest economy in the world yet we also have the highest rate of homeless students, twice the national rate of the United States. So it’s kind of ridiculous,"
she said.
Roland gave a speech on student homelessness at a San Jose protest earlier that day. Many events in her life inspired that act, “I dealt with instability of housing, sleeping in my car, sleeping at random people’s couches and showering at De Anza throughout my whole college career, so it’s something I’m really passionate about. It’s a serious issue right now, especially in Santa Clara County and throughout the Silicon valley as prices for living have skyrocketed while gentrification takes place in our neighborhoods It’s left a lot of poor people, a lot of people of color without places to stay … I was a victim of student homelessness I think it’s kind of ridiculous in one of the richest states, California which is the 6th largest economy in the world yet we also have the highest rate of homeless students, twice the national rate of the United States. So it’s kind of ridiculous,"
she said.
Roland said she saw part of the inauguration and purposely refused to watch after “this guy gets on stage and says, ‘the bible says when it rains it’s a gift from God, and it just started raining for Donald Trump.’”
“I’d rather stand out in the rain and the cold to show that I am against him and everything that he stands for,” she said.
Roland said she was in a daze over Trump’s agenda to stifle and take away women’s rights as human beings. “We didn’t elect a president, the electoral college and the elite have elected a president who openly has called ‘justified’ his harassment of women.”
Roland said she was in a daze over Trump’s agenda to stifle and take away women’s rights as human beings. “We didn’t elect a president, the electoral college and the elite have elected a president who openly has called ‘justified’ his harassment of women.”
Roland said she wanted to stand in solidarity with all the people that felt targeted by Trump’s administration.
She had positive words for De Anza Students, “We are fortunate enough to find ourselves in one of the most progressive learning institutions in the world ... recognize that and use it to your advantage. Whether it’s standing up for things in your local community that you feel strongly about, or using the knowledge that you acquire here in your daily lives to promote a more equitable world.”
The crowd went toward the highway from Ogawa plaza on Broadway, Downtown Oakland’s main thoroughfare, and blocked off both sides of the road as protestors chanted “Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go.” and “Not my President!” Which rang through the streets. Some 50 police officers marched along side the protest attempting to cut them off. The protest took a left turn through a police motorcade onto 9th street while Roland and the gang looked nervous that this would incite police action. Nobody laid a finger on the bikes, but theyzig-zaggedd and rushed to block protesters off while protestors rushed through. If protestors had continued down Broadway it might have blocked off the highway and made the evening news, instead, it went down 9th. People were shouting epithets at the cops, the protest communicated through whistles. Groups at the front steered the protest right again upHarrisonn and police formed a curve to fit.
Some called the cops pigs, Roland called them dogs because they could listen but not talk. Some yelled “CHILD RAPISTS!” due to the recent scandal involving many members of the police force and an underage prostitute.
After heading up Harrison protestors were forced onto 14th back toward Frank Ogawa plaza, completing a square. Once protesters realized they were back there was a mild outrage that grew into people attempting to outrun the police.
Alameda Defenders were present as Attorney Legal Advisors. Alameda Defenders member Martin Carves said they were legal observers.
She had positive words for De Anza Students, “We are fortunate enough to find ourselves in one of the most progressive learning institutions in the world ... recognize that and use it to your advantage. Whether it’s standing up for things in your local community that you feel strongly about, or using the knowledge that you acquire here in your daily lives to promote a more equitable world.”
The crowd went toward the highway from Ogawa plaza on Broadway, Downtown Oakland’s main thoroughfare, and blocked off both sides of the road as protestors chanted “Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go.” and “Not my President!” Which rang through the streets. Some 50 police officers marched along side the protest attempting to cut them off. The protest took a left turn through a police motorcade onto 9th street while Roland and the gang looked nervous that this would incite police action. Nobody laid a finger on the bikes, but theyzig-zaggedd and rushed to block protesters off while protestors rushed through. If protestors had continued down Broadway it might have blocked off the highway and made the evening news, instead, it went down 9th. People were shouting epithets at the cops, the protest communicated through whistles. Groups at the front steered the protest right again upHarrisonn and police formed a curve to fit.
Some called the cops pigs, Roland called them dogs because they could listen but not talk. Some yelled “CHILD RAPISTS!” due to the recent scandal involving many members of the police force and an underage prostitute. After heading up Harrison protestors were forced onto 14th back toward Frank Ogawa plaza, completing a square. Once protesters realized they were back there was a mild outrage that grew into people attempting to outrun the police.
Alameda Defenders were present as Attorney Legal Advisors. Alameda Defenders member Martin Carves said they were legal observers.
When about 50 police blocked off the front of the march to steer protesters from broadway st. back to Frank Ogawa plaza, Carves said, “The fact that they’re restricting movement [doesn’t allow] peaceful assembly to follow through.”
The police kept the crowd in Frank Ogawa Plaza and away from the glass walled city hall behind the main building, and in addition kept protesters sealed in the park and away from people who they would have shared the message with. While Roland and other De Anza students expressed their dismay.
An officer on a megaphone blared for 10 minutes: “This is the Oakland Police Department. We are here to facilitate your march, but you need to proceed eastbound, toward Frank Ogawa Plaza, on the sidewalk.”
Someone in the crowd shouted, “Say his name!” “Oscar Grant!” referencing the shooting of an unarmed black man at Fruitvale BART station, and a community name for the Fruitvale Bart Station that even BART has named Oscar Grant station on their maps. The context of the comment was confusing, but it highlights some motives of the protest, inequality and distaste for the police.
After a man in charge of the line of police spoke up and said “Don’t speak to protesters, don’t touch protestors, do not engage.” this went on and on like psychological warfare, before it ultimately dissuaded me from participating in the protest when Trump was the target and Oakland was not Roland said to individual police in the line. “Oh, they got you like that? You can’t even speak? You’re their dogs?”
Meanwhile, the protesters yelled, “Whose streets? Our streets.” and Someone in the crowd shouted, “Say his name!” “Oscar Grant!” referencing the shooting of an unarmed black man at Fruitvale BART station, and a community name for the Fruitvale Bart Station that even BART has named Oscar Grant station on their maps. The context of the comment was confusing, but it highlights some motives of the protest, inequality and distaste for the police.
After a man in charge of the line of police spoke up and said “Don’t speak to protesters, don’t touch protestors, do not engage.” this went on and on like psychological warfare, before it ultimately dissuaded me from participating in the protest when Trump was the target and Oakland was not Roland said to individual police in the line. “Oh, they got you like that? You can’t even speak? You’re their dogs?”
“We don’t need your help!” This was just one of the first of many (over a dozen) protests that have taken place in the Bay Area alone until today, and Roland recently had trouble remembering details about this march with the many other marches she has participated in since. by Nick Girard, Originally published on LaVozDeAnza.com
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