Silence is Violence … I Walk for Many

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TRUMP BACKLASH IN LA-There is street poetry everywhere; angry and articulate, rude and respectful: “Respect existence or Expect resistance,” “Dear Climate: We’re sorry,” “Say it loud, say it clear: Immigrants are welcome here,” “We Shall Over-Comb,” “Pussy Grabs Back,” “Read a fucking book”, “Reject the fascist-elect.” 

I stand for more than a dozen first-degree relatives, people who are too young or too old or too busy or too oversubscribed to turn out today, but whose dismay wants even so to be counted. I stand for several dozen second-degree relatives, for more, and beyond, from whom I read and hear their distress, who by walking for I may caress. I stand for dozens upon hundreds of friends and neighbors, workers and acquaintances who stand with me in spirit yet who cannot turn out in person. 

We cannot all turn out but this is in my job description and so I do.

I raise children, I hold them and instruct them and walk with them hand-in-hand as they gain their own foothold on the path of life. 

This is my bailiwick so I turn out today and walk for those who mayn’t, not now, not today but tomorrow. We will grow larger in numbers, every week I hope, ever larger until the shop-owners, and their managers must shutter their businesses. And follow us all into the streets. 

We will stand for those threatened. Which is all of us. 

This is not my country but these are my people. “We are better than this.” 

Signs on parade:

• Not my vice-president either
• Can’t build wall, hands too small
• Dear Climate: I’m sorry
• Apologies to science
• No hate no fear, Donald Trump’s not welcome here
• No one is illegal
• Deport racism
• Respect existence or expect resistance
• Sluts for open borders
• You cannot unify with hate
• Say it loud, say it clear: Immigrants are welcome here
• Protect Our Children
• Donald ¡Vete!
• La lucha segue
• Minority rights are human rights
• You can’t make me
• We will not go quietly
• Your silence will not protect you
• Silence is violence
• Compassion not oppression
• Power in peace
• Injustice anywhere is a thread to justice everywhere
• No to hate
• Don’t Get cynical, don’t ever think you cannot make a difference
• No Trump, no Guëy
• Love is the final word
• La Union have la fuerza
• Trump can huff my fart jar
• Putin puppet
• For cafe frontera. Existe tambien un puente
• Banish bigotry with love + logic
• If you Stand for nothing what will you fall for?
• Fight 4 Mother Nature
• No to the AmeriKKKan
• Spread love not hate
• A riot is the language of the unheard
• The duty of youth is to challenge corruption
• Electoral college system is NOT democracy
• Trump=KKK=ISIS
• Inclusion = democracy
• Pussy Grabs Back
• Protests are not disturbances of the peace, injustice is the disturbance of peace
• It’s the climate, stupid
• Resisting white supremacy isn’t “identity politics”
• No place 4 hate
• Hate is not a political discussion
• Don’t deport my friends
• United against hate
• I believe in the golden rule; Trump believes in gold
• End white male terror
• Resist to exist
• We don’t demean women in my locker room
• Reject the fascist-elect
• Read a fucking book
• Love is stronger
• Let’s get nasty
• Hate ≠ Great
• We’ve seen it before
• Fighting for change
• Compton for Bernie
• Bad hombre for Trump
• Racism bites, people have rights
• Obstruct Trump and his corporate clowns
• Jewish voice for peace
• Mein Trümpf: a thoroughly American fascist pig
• I’m here for Mother Earth
• We shouldn’t be this scared
• Fight 4 our future
• Mi tierra es tu tierra
• Let’s talk, not fight
• We will not be marginalized
• Stop corporate tyranny
• Keep your laws off my body
• Tolerance is patriotic
• Our resilience will continue to jump walls
• LA United Against Hate
• No A-holes in the White House
• White people clean up your mess
• We voted for her and all we got is a stupid despot
• Not Meín Führer
• I matter too
• You are my family
• Stand 4 something more
• Against white supremacy
• This is very bad
• Never my president
• He’s a racist/rapist
• Pantsuit nation
• Nasty women unite
• America was never great
• Down with Trump, down with capitalism: Solidarity Forever
• We are better than this
• NastierTogether
• Denounce racist and homophobic policies
• Deport Trump
• Deport Ivanka
• We got stamina
• Donald, can I grab Ivana’s pussy?
• Last stand for patriarchy
• Keep your tiny hands off my cunt-ry
• We Shall Over-Comb
• Corrupters don’t end corruption
• We will find a way
• They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds
• Protect reproductive freedom
• Your vote was a hate crime
• Her body-her choice; my body-my choice
• Black Lives Matter
• Until everyone is free no one is free
• Nasty women fight back
• We want equal pay & not to be raped
• Say it loud, say it clear
• Babies against Bigots
• Donald eres un pendejo
• This bad hombre is a therapist
• I’m white and I’m sick of white people’s racist bullshit
• Anger is healthy, hate is toxic
• Undocumented and unafraid
• Still we rise
• Nope
• Humans we have work to do
• They go low, we go high
• Rompe las fronteras
• I reject Ivanka as first lady
• Brown faggots against fascism
• I’m with her: Rosa, Dolores, Susan, Ruth, Michelle, Elizabeth, Hillary, Kamala
• You can’t comb over fascism
• No hate in the White House
• Kleptokrat
• At least Voldemort never sexually Assaulted anybody
• Climate change imposes carbon tax
• It’s not OK to be an asshole
• Make racists afraid again
• Trump cancelled firefly
• Defend the earth
• Not welcome in USA
• Let’s fight like hell and stop this great and disgusting injustice. The world is laughing at us
• Don’t normalize hate
• PREXIT
• But we are his worst nightmare
• Stand against hate
• If you’ve been targeted by trump you’re safe with me
• U-nity; S-upport; A-cceptance
• Stand against anti-Muslim bigotry
• Turn Fear into revolution
• Denounce racist homophobic policies
• Mom, Dad, I’m here for you
• Wrong
• Here to keep you accountable in the next four years

Eight thousand Angelenos walked from MacArthur Park downtown. I am not as young as I was, and those eight miles hurt just as we were warned: This Will Be Painful.  

Shop workers asked: “Will this matter?” I do not know; how can I know? But I know it matters not to walk out. I assure them this is my work for today; I will walk for them, so that as we grow in numbers we will grow strong enough for it to become their work to shutter the shop and see their business shudder to a stop. This is how we can express our discontent: Just Say No. 

There were hundreds of police, a receiving line of men in blue. Only here their uniforms are black. They stand with palms out-stretched as we pass, slapping each one, thanking them. They keep us peaceful, they cheer us on for them. We are angry; we are not hate-filled. “You can’t make me.” 

Our numbers strand motorists traveling the wrong way against this pedestrian’s prerogative. 

There are airplane shuttle-buses, limousines, infant-less car seats with families snuggled in arms, waiting. One driver’s hand-scrawled sign proclaims: “You Are All My Family.” Everywhere fingers counter with peace signed as a “V”. 

What now? 3.8 million signers are asking electoral college delegates to spurn the traditional state-by-state vote in favor of the country’s overall popular count. The imperative turns on fitness: “U-nity; S-upport; A-cceptance.” 

This is not my president. 

Video here. 

 

(Sara Roos is a politically active resident of Mar Vista, a biostatistician, the parent of two teenaged LAUSD students and a CityWatch contributor, who blogs at redqueeninla.com) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.