To the protesters of San Jose,

I am angry. I am saddened. Most of all though, I am disappointed. It has come not only to my attention, but that of the nation of the actions you all committed. A woman was hit with eggs multiple times and not once fought back against her attackers. A young man close to my age was chased by a mob like he was some form of prey. Multiple vehicles were defaced and damaged in a parking garage with their owners and families inside the cars. A man was sucker punched from behind and received a bleeding head wound, and another was assaulted and had his belongings torn to pieces. The common denominator between all these is that each individual and their families were coming from a Donald Trump rally.

I believe in the Constitution and I hold dearly the rights afforded to us by the first Ten Amendments. The actions inflicted upon the rally attendees was a clear violation of our constitution, more specifically the First Amendment. The First Amendment guarantees us as citizens the freedom of speech, press, religion, peaceful assembly and the right to petition the government over grievances. The actions the protesters took was in direct conflict with the freedom of speech and in this case, political speech. Look, I do understand that not everybody agrees on what Trump is supporting, that’s why other candidates and parties exist, but the violence stemming from your personal disapproval solves nothing. This political violence creates fear and terror. This fear of being endangered when utilizing one of our freedoms granted to us is completely wrong. We should not have to be wary about who we support when we walk our streets, we should have every confidence that even those who don’t see eye to eye with us respect our ability to freely speak.

With this being said, for the protestors we cannot rectify your actions because the damage you all committed is permanent. I do not know how you feel following the fall-out from your actions, but I do know it should not be good and nowhere near the realm of perceived due justice. Violence isn’t a healthy way to communicate your anger, mistrust or dislike of the current political environment. You have the right to peacefully assemble but not to assail and dehumanize people for their opposing beliefs. So, remember, that when you go to harm someone or to destroy their belongings that you or your group are no longer protestors but terrorists and you all are crushing the freedoms and rights that generations of Americans have fought for. Of all possible things, that probably is the most un-American action one can do and become. So then, how do we rebuild the confidence, and trust between the people on regards to the protection of speech? How do we go back to treating each others opinions with dignity, and stop from instilling domestic fear? The answer I believe is simple, dialogue.

People don’t discuss politics anymore openly because it is considered taboo, a thing meant only for behind closed doors. It is this very belief system about the discussion of politics that we have contrived that prevents unity. If and when we talk to one another, we begin to have a better understanding of what others think and stand for. Sure, we may disagree or agree, and we can get upset, but if we were to communicate more often, violence wouldn’t come so readily. I don't think through dialogue the change will occur overnight, this month or this year, things will surely improve though, but I do believe that by changing the culture now we may create a more peaceful existence for the future. We need to make the discussion of our differences public rather than hidden, and we need to understand without bias or prejudice how we each came to our different conclusions. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither was peace, but I believe this will start the foundation.