I am not a typical protester. I am not close with anyone who is. I am not informed of when protests are happening. I don't go out of my way to protest.
But there I was found myself in the middle of a protest against Donald Trump.
I believe protests are important. I believe that they do not hinder free speech, but that they are free speech.
On the outside of the UIC Pavilion, along Harrison between Morgan and Racine,
there was chanting and shouting and percussion and people sitting in
trees and waving posters and unity and old people and young people and
families and people of all colors and nationalities. It was the great
post-race revolutionaries wet dream. Every type of person was there.
When was the last time Trump visited the UIC campus? Over half the student body is Asian, Latino, or African-American. According to UIC: "Foreign students comprise about 6%
of the campus enrollment with the more than 1,600 visa students coming from over
80 different countries." That was in 1999 even and I wouldn't be surprised if that number has increased.
It was not violent. There were instances of violence and it seemed especially worse inside the arena. From what I've seen these spats only happened because he cancelled. Would there have been this violence without him cancelling? Without the chance for his supporters to scapegoat the protesters, to get in their faces, to scream awful things?
