Thousands protest Trump’s election in Philly march [video]
Lamenting the election of Donald Trump as president, nearly 2,000 protesters assembled Wednesday evening at Thomas Paine Plaza in Center City to march north on Broad Street.
Advisory: The video above contains harsh language.
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Lamenting the election of Donald Trump as president, nearly 2,000 protesters assembled Wednesday evening at Thomas Paine Plaza in Center City to march north on Broad Street.
Demonstrators spoke about goals a Trump administration is likely to ignore — a $15 minimum wage, class and gender equality, and environmental conservation.
Carrying signs and chanting, the protesters moved toward Temple University in the misty night in such numbers that police closed off Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue.
Zoe Buckwalter from the Philadelphia Socialist Alternative, one of the organizers of the march, said she wants to see a third party emerge to represent the working class.
“We need to understand the only reason Donald Trump wasn’t pushed aside,” she said. “Donald Trump was the least-popular candidate in the last 10 election cycles because he had the privilege of running against the second-least-popular candidate in the last 10 election cycles.”
Kristin Gale said she is worried about how the president-elect will affect the economy.
“It’s not just about racism and sexism. It’s not a white vs. black thing, it really isn’t. Look at all these white people out here, upset. There’s all these poor white people who know what’s coming,” she said. “The money is going to dry up. This is a man who makes businesses, closes them out for financial gain, and that’s it. That’s what I’m out here for.”
Like several other protests Wednesday night in U.S., the Philadelphia crowd was mostly young and white, but not everyone was interested in third-party politics.
Charlie Price, 4, said he has disliked Trump since seeing harsh political ads pop up while watching cartoons. By attending the rally, he said he wants people to know that “it’s OK to be upset and angry.”
His dad, Chris Price, said he wanted those feelings to resonate with Charlie, as well as the rest of the country.
“I’m motivated. In situations like this, I think it’s good to run towards trouble,” he said. “I wanted to hit the street right away and let the world know that we’re not standing for this.”
First-time voter Philip Gregory, who cast his ballot for a third-p[arty candidate, said the march offered a chance for reflection after Tuesday’s election results were tallied.
“I was sad because this was something I wanted to help change. I wanted to take a part and do my civic duty,” he said. “But like it doesn’t matter — who wins or who loses, if they both end up rich and we all end up broke. So, at the end of the day, we need to grab the power of the people.”
Protesters also marched in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and San Franciso.
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