North Texas Resistance leads Inauguration Day anti-Trump protest
On the evening of Jan. 20, about 400 protesters rallied at Dealey Plaza before marching through downtown Dallas to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump. The action was organized by North Texas Resistance, a community organization formed in the wake of Trump's electoral victory to fight against the new president and the reactionary policies and political forces he represents.
Protesters chanted, “Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here,” and “The people united will never be defeated,” among other chants in both English and Spanish. There was a wide variety of signs, including one which read “Aquí estamos y no nos vamos y si nos hechan nos regresamos.” Other signs referenced SB6, the new anti-trans bathroom bill which has been introduced in the Texas legislature.
The event featured about ten speakers, including some from North Texas Resistance and other community organizations. The speakers generally focused on the negative effects the Trump election will have and already is having on various oppressed groups, including immigrants, women and the LGBTQ community.
One of the speakers, Val Brown-Clark, also added some analysis, calling Trump “The ultimate, and possibly inevitable, product of a form of democracy which, from the beginning has been a democracy for the rich and the privileged,” and urged that the movement against him be “independent of the system, and never fall into the trap of becoming a part of what it’s fighting against.”
After marching through the West End entertainment district, past the West End DART station and Rosa Parks Plaza, the marchers passed along Elm Street about halfway through downtown, before returning to Dealey Plaza along Main Street.