Detroit marches against Trump agenda

Detroit, MI – At 6 p.m., in near-zero-degree weather, over 40 protesters came out to oppose Donald Trump, January 20, his first day in office.

Protesters rallied at Grand Circus Park as the sun set. They marched to the nearby 36th District Court in a show of force against the new era of political repression that Trump intends to lead.

Many groups came together, including the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Detroit Anti-War Committee (DAWC), Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DAARPR), Wayne State Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Anakbayan, Engineers Against Apartheid, and Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM). The common thread of the organizations’ speeches focused on unity and building a broad people’s movement against Trump’s agenda.

The opening speech of the night from DAWC activist Mykale Woods stated, “Trump will continue his wars right where he left them in 2020. The only promises Donald Trump fulfills are the ones to his friends the billionaires, the war-profiteers, and so-called ‘Israel.’ Our responsibility as American anti-war activists under a Trump presidency is clear – we must resist his wars.”

DAARPR Member Cole Hamilton’s told the crowd, “Billionaires like Donald Trump want to destroy our livelihoods, let killer cops roam the streets, and take away our family members with impunity.”

Hamilton continued, “The fight is just beginning, and the road ahead is hard, but together as long as we dare to struggle and dare to win and dare to organize the people, the people will be victorious in the struggle against Donald Trump and his racist agenda.”

Immigration and the fears around deportations were on the minds of marchers, with chants being heard such as “Power to the people, no one is illegal.”

While stopped outside of the courthouse, Jackson Robak of Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “Now is the time to make this country ungovernable; now is the time to fight and resist. As Trump wants to have mass deportations in our community, he wants to come in here with a bunch of pigs called ICE and take people out of their jobs, take people out of their homes, rip them away from their family members.”

Robak continued, “We will defend our communities, we will not allow a single person from Detroit to be deported, we show up to workplaces, to airports and shut down those deportations.”

The march carried the message that the next four years will not be easy, but there are people who are willing to fight, people who intend to bring new fighters with them, and as long as people stand together, we can win.

#DetroitMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Trump