On the night of the inauguration, television stations were tuned to the news. However, hundreds of people passed by the homes and dorms across Seattle holding signs while they protested the arrival of the new President of the United States.
The gathering began at Westlake Park. A stage was set while people voiced their opinions of the election results and what may become of the country within the next four years. (Click here to watch the full live video.) The event, hosted by The Socialist Alternative and the Socialist Students of Seattle, held speakers of all different walks of life on the stage as they discussed their protest against the new president and a new alternative to capitalism to give way to their new order.
"We are all vulnerable under a Trump presidency. His administration blatantly denied climate change, is prepared to cut public education funding, social service funding. This will result in a lower quality public education, increase of the opportunity gap, increase of tuition costs, and increase of the living cost for the many of us trying to meet the bare minimum. Trump's selection has peeled off the blindfold that my generation was taught to wear, and now the youth see the atrocities and this broken and corrupt system that is gained to benefit the billionaires, that is gained to benefit the one percent. We now see that the one percent can only function with the exploitation of the ninety-nine percent. And guess what? They get away with it because we as ordinary people are too busy trying to meet the bare minimum with these unrealistic living conditions. This system has fallen apart, and this election goes to show that we are long overdue for a system that takes care of our needs and gives us a voice that truly represents us. We need change and we need it now! For many of us, we are fighting for socialist change as long as our future is driven by profit oil corporations and billionaire lobbyists. This will only get worse. For many of us this movement is not just about stopping Trump, it's about creating a world free from racism, from sexism, from income inequality, and environmental destruction. Socialist Students is organizing and schools across this country in order to organize a new generation to fight for a socialist future. It is scary but it's not hopeless. Look at us here and now. Mass movements of ordinary people have succeeded in blocking bigoted and weak presidents before. Many of the major progressive reforms of the last one hundred years including the Civil Rights Act and the creation of the EPA happened under conservative Republican presidents, not because they supported those things but because of ordinary people like ourselves demanding a change. Young people have been on the front lines of new movements. It has always been the youth who push for the boldest actions and the boldest new ideas. Ideas that would later become mainstream. That is why Socialist Students organized these walkouts and we call for free education. Abolish the student debt! Tax the rich to fully fund schools, not jails! Free quality healthcare for all! A future free from racism, sexism, inequality, and environmental destruction. And ultimately, we call for a political revolution against the billionaire class and a socialist alternative. The enemy is profit, together we can stop it! We have to get organized now, not tomorrow."
Youth all around the country are gathering and protesting against the capitalist system, but a lot of those out in the streets refused to vote. However, a young spoken word performer stated onstage that the White House office needs to be disabled. She said that it was formed on white male supremacy that most of the people of the nation would never be privileged enough to sit in. She encouraged the civil disobedience occurring in the nation due to the election results, and she urged the crowd to continue protesting in order for the capitalist nation to give way to a new order, where the ninety-nine percent could be able to get by more than they are. The crowd shouted in agreement.
After the initial gathering at the park, the protesters split into groups. Some went home while hundreds of others gathered and marched nearly four miles to state their opinions city-wide.
Couples held hands as they walked in the middle of the streets. Groups of friends and families walked together, holding signs. Their voices echoed through neighborhoods and main streets of Seattle Center, Capitol Hill, and U-District.
Throughout the march, police rode on bikes. Some wore looks full of tension on their faces while others conversed quietly with their coworkers. They blocked the freeways and the streets outside of the designated route and guided the protesters safely to their destination, The University of Washington's Kane Hall, where Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos was to hold a speech with students. His speech was highly anticipated and rumors were made prior to it stating that protesters would try to stop him from speaking at the event.
For the most part, the protesters remained respectful toward the authorities as they marched. They were mostly ignored. However, a rigidity began to increase as the group grew closer to their destination.
A man wearing a bandana over his face shouted at the officers blocking the highway and leading them toward the university, "Why are you herding us together? We are not sheep!" He pulled away from the group and disappeared.
As soon as the majority of the group had huddled together in Red Square, police barricaded themselves around Kain Hall to keep the protesters away from the entrance and to protect the people inside.
Most of the protesters remained well-intentioned until a group of masked people wearing black pushed their way into the crowd and began protesting against them. Tension rose. The people in black stole signs from the hands of protesters, tore them up, and caused small skirmishes in the crowd before being stopped by the police. There was a shooting on campus as well, but the speech occurring in the building resumed despite word being made of the event.
“If we don’t continue, they have won,” Yiannopoulos said.
The protests remained persistent and police stiffened their stance, arms linked and gazes expressionless. People were shot with paint and officers dodged rocks and brick being thrown at them.
"We all just need to talk to each other without being violent," stated a woman in the distance.
