Hundreds gathered in Civic Center on Sunday night to spread love, to create a safe space and to reassure one another that they would fight to keep their civil rights.
The crowd — a mix of young, old, white, black, straight, gay and many other identities — listened as speakers, including state Rep. Joseph Salazar and leaders of the event organizer Community Unity, stressed political engagement, unity during a time of fear and using love to combat hate.
“I have experienced violence as a woman. I have not experienced violence or hatred because of race, gender expression or because of my religion,” said Bailey Howes of Community Unity. “I am standing here today with those who have.”
Speaker at "love rally" in Civic Space amphitheater: "You cannot beat hate with more hate. You can only beat hate with love" pic.twitter.com/Fv1p7ONpGN
— Danika Worthington (@Dani_Worth) November 13, 2016
Speakers said many people woke up Wednesday morning feeling sad, afraid and alone. They told everyone to look to their left and right, then they asked, “Do you feel alone anymore?” The crowd cheered.
The group acknowledged critics who called protests pointless and protesters whiners. Community Unity founder Dezy Saint Nolde, whose protest name is Phoenix, said people should not let those critics discourage them. Rather they should face their fears to fight for what is right.
She said the negative response is “the fear of people of privilege thriving off our misery, or worse, the people too afraid to do anything themselves.”
Saint Nolde was adamant that the night’s event was not an “anti-Trump” rally, although the president-elect was brought up repeatedly throughout the night.
“A lot of us feel that no matter which president won, they would not have honestly represented how we feel as a country,” Saint Nolde said before the rally started. “Our goal honestly is to be represented by an elected administration that will actually stand for its people. Every single person in America.”
"This isn't about one side against another side. This is about all of us," rally organizer Phoenix said pic.twitter.com/K31dTkAWJy
— Danika Worthington (@Dani_Worth) November 13, 2016
Community Unity representative Kirkland James said the group is not trying to stop President-elect Donald Trump from taking office. Instead, it intends to hold him accountable for his actions while in the White House.
Speakers said that they are here to fight for everyone’s rights and to create spaces where people feel safe regardless of their race, religion, gender expression, sexual identities and the list went on.
"We shouldn't have to fit in to a white Christian normal to be fully accepted as a citizen in this country," rally organizer Phoenix said pic.twitter.com/9bcciPO5ic
— Danika Worthington (@Dani_Worth) November 13, 2016
Many of the people at the rally had also participated in a march Thursday night. Saint Nolde created the Facebook event for the march but expected only 25 or 50 people to show, not thousands.
She said she wasn’t prepared to handle that many people, which is partly why this rally didn’t involve marching. She also said she wanted to mix up forms of protest.
After Thursday’s march, Saint Nolde and six others created Community Unity. The organizers stressed peaceful forms of protest and discouraged people from any form of violence. The speakers lightly chastised the splinter group that obstructed the highway after Thursday’s march.
Organizers were clear that they wanted to hear from the crowd. So they encouraged people to talk among themselves and with them about how they can create change. Before the rally, Saint Nolde said the group wants to reach out to schools to address issues of bullying.
Following the speeches, organizers rolled out a large spool of paper and encouraged people to write down what they want the future to be like. They also encouraged attendees to write their stories on paper tags and tie them to lines of twine. Chalk was available for people to write and draw messages.
People write their dreams & stories then hang them on twine to promote love and safe spaces after the election pic.twitter.com/FQCsCbNnLn
— Danika Worthington (@Dani_Worth) November 13, 2016
Just one of the messages people are writing in chalk at Civic Center park pic.twitter.com/ZB045zbzXb
— Danika Worthington (@Dani_Worth) November 13, 2016
“We are all here with a common goal,” Howes said. ” We are all here to make change and equality a reality, not just a dream.”