Toreros take a stand

Students gather to combat the presence of Trump supporters on campus

Amy Inkrott / News Editor / The USD Vista

Under the streetlights of the juncture between Linda Vista avenue and the University of San Diego main driveway, a group of 30 USD students engaged in an intense protest against a pair of Trump supporters. Carrying banners streaked with red lettering, the students shouted out various chants, calling for justice and an end to hateful language and actions. 

In the evening on Thursday, Nov. 8, a man and woman came to campus, donned in “Make America Great Again” hats and holding a banner that read “Americanos for Trump.” Neither the man nor the woman were members of the USD community. However, the pair sought to recruit some of USD’s Latino students for a San Diego Trump rally spoken entirely in Spanish. The pair had already recruited individuals from Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Downtown, and UCSD. 

When the pair was found stationed in front of the Student Life Pavilion, a text was sent to a group of student leaders and activists from across the USD community. Many of these students participated in the protests against the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on campus. Instantaneously, the group retrieved their banners and signs, and moved to confront the pair. 

Junior Carolina Moreno was one of the first students to react against the Trump supporters. 

“These are not the ideals of our USD students,” Moreno said. “These are not the values and beliefs that we hold.”

When students became disgruntled with the presence of the Trump supporters on campus, Public Safety officers moved them just beyond the campus boundaries. Standing on the street corner in front of the USD main entrance, the man and woman continued to promote their political beliefs.

“You have a problem with me being here,” the woman said. “This is the street and I love Trump. Whether I stand here or here or here, I am going to love Trump. And no matter what you say, I am still going to love Trump.”

The group of student protesters grew steadily larger, causing their rallying cries to drown out the voices of the two Trump supporters. Drawing from the Movimiento Estudiantíl Chicanx de Azatlan (MEChA), American Indian Student Organization (AISO), Black Student Resource Center (BSRC), and PRIDE, the protesters sought to demonstrate the power of minority voices. 

The protests carried on for nearly two hours as both sides argued the topics of education, deportation, and justice. 

Neither side was willing to concede on any of the issues, causing the demonstration to become increasingly hostile.

Junior bystander Brett Rovnick was frustrated with the protest.

“You come out here and argue and there’s just no result,” Rovnick said. “It causes hate and it causes controversy. There really is no point.”

However, the protest did attract students from both sides of the political spectrum. Junior Kelsey Fernando expressed her sympathies with the Trump supporters. 

“I know it’s an unpopular opinion,” Fernando said. “But my parents are immigrants and worked really hard to become something in this country. They have been through so much and started with basically nothing. I have seen from personal experience that Trump aligns more with my family, my beliefs, and my values. And that’s not respected today, unfortunately.”

Despite this, the student protesters were very vocal about their disapproval of the president. 

“Donald Trump does not love you,” a student shouted. “He doesn’t love immigrants. He doesn’t care about undocumenteds. He only loves his money and his wall.”

The intense political divide between the two groups, junior Stephen Jordan sought to put an end to the hatred and put an emphasis on love. Jordan was passing out wooden hearts with “Love trumps Hate” and “One Love” written on them. 

As the protest went on, both the students and the Trump supporters began to throw personal jabs at their opponents.

PRIDE president Imari Clement was determined to stand up for the people around her. 

“The people were being dehumanizing to trans people,” Clement said. “They were defending it and being very disrespectful. It’s important that we don’t allow hate speech on this campus.”

Eventually, the demonstration ended when the pair decided to leave. However, emotions continued to run high. Many students took to social media to further voice their opinions. 

Sophomore Sam Stringer posted about the protest on his Instagram. 

“I stand in solidarity with all of my brothers, sisters, and siblings across USD and the world, and will always fight and stand with them until everyone has the justice and reparations they deserve,” Stringer said. 

The students present at the demonstration saw it as part of their role as Changemakers at USD.