Car after car lined up at Reid Park in Tucson in the late afternoon, with passengers waving flags and signs that decried President Donald Trump’s actions in the warm breeze. Cars crawled forward, bumper to bumper, in the lanes lining the park on Tucson’s south side.
Thousands of Tucsonans showed up for the Motor March as temperatures reached 106 degrees for No Kings Day on June 14. The protest was organized by Democracy Unites Us, AZ 50501, and Indivisible Tucson Action Alliance. It was one of several across Tucson throughout the day.
The event was scheduled simultaneously with Trump’s military parade in Washington, D.C., to create “a powerful, unified demonstration of resistance with our own People’s Parade,” said the march’s website. Protesters also braved the heat on the sidewalk, holding signs that said “No Kings” or “Bring Back Democracy,” and waving American and Mexican flags at several locations throughout the city.
Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.
Bennette Burke, a spokesperson for Democracy Unites Us, said it seemed "thousands upon thousands" of protesters attended the Motor March, noting that around 4,400 people had registered for the event on the website. But Burke noted that with the way the protest was designed, there was no practical way to count the number of vehicles that were part of the caravan.
"The big surprise for me was how many people were out on the street for hours," he said, noting that there were at least 1,000 people along the edges of Reid Park. He said he was happy to see the diverse crowd that gathered and the large number of young people who participated.
One of those young people was Julianna Quintanilla, a 20-year-old from California’s Central Valley. She was walking down E 22nd Street. nd Street along the park, as car after car honked at her creative poster. She had hand-drawn Trump in a clown suit with his pants down and with a tattoo of Putin, hugging a missile which was being propelled by his flatulence.
Quintanilla braved Tucson's high temperatures to show her disapproval of Trump's immigration policies.
I just see a lot of injustice happening in our country. I'm a first-generation American, so to me, this is really important to stand up for immigrant rights," Quintanilla said. "I think what they're doing right now is completely wrong and out of line. And I just see so many people defending it, and it just makes me, like, pretty upset, you know? ”
The issue hits close to home for Quintanilla, as her father worked hard for his citizenship after fleeing civil war in El Salvador in the 1980s.
America was something that gave him an opportunity and gave him a second chance at life. He didn't have to be a terrorist or a soldier," she said. "He could just be a kid and grow up here and get the same opportunities that we have. And it was hard for him to get to where he's at. But he was able to because of our country and how it works. .”
Other protesters down East 22 nd The street waved their handmade signs at the passing cars, despite high temperatures and a lack of shade.
Using ACE hardware yardsticks attached to dollar store poster paper, a group that included Los Angeles resident Julian Iannini held signs saying “F*** Stephen Miller” and “Bring Science Back.”
Iannini, who grew up in Tucson, said he wanted to show his resistance to everything the Trump administration is doing and show that he does not approve of forcibly removing immigrants.
"I do not approve of the forcible removal of people who are labeled criminals purely because they're trying to seek a better life for themselves and are leaving desperate situations in search of an honest day's work to improve either their own safe well-being or their family's," he said.
He noted how proud he is of Tucson and how the city made him who he is. He said he has seen videos, and he is proud to be from Tucson and of the resistance that Tucsonans have shown.
Sarah Lapidus covers southern Arizona politics and issues for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com .
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tucson Motorcade on No Kings Day draws large crowds of anti-Trump protesters
0 Komentar