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Center City rallies against President-elect Trump promote unity

Published  November 13, 2016 10:41pm EST
U.S.
FOX 29 Philadelphia

CENTER CITY (WTXF) - "Who's streets? Our streets!"

Five days since the election and the scenes have become quite familiar with no signs of letting up.

Sunday brought two Center City rallies against President-elect Donald Trump. A small nighttime demonstration of about 70 protestors marching along the Ben Franklin parkway.

"This isn't so much that the democratic process should not be appreciated and respected. But more so that the candidate-elect is unacceptable to us," Sean Kearney said.

Preceded by an afternoon rally that started at City Hall, hundreds stopping traffic on Market Street, headed toward Independence Mall, organized on Facebook by Michael Reid, who says, before last week, he'd never been to a protest in his life.

"This happened literally two days ago. It just organized, and all of a sudden, hundreds of people shared, and the next thing we know, a thousand people coming and three thousand interested."

The marches, peaceful. And the message, unified.

Andrew Nurkin said, "We're gonna fight him tooth and nail every bit of the way."

Many here wanting President-elect Trump to speak out against the numerous cases of overt racism nationwide last week, including Friday's posting of racist threats to black students at the University Of Pennsylvania. They appear to be connected to college students in Oklahoma.

Kathryn Hiester said, "I live near the University of Pennsylvania. And I'm rally disturbed to see that hatred has come so close to me. I was naive to think that we were immune, and I really want Donald Trump to denounce the hatred."

"There's a lot of sentiments that have been very deep within people, and all of a sudden people feel like they have been emboldened to act on them, and a lot of people are really terrified."

"Donald Trump rose to power on a platform or race, hatred, and prejudice."

Nathaly Murillo is a US citizen born in Ecuador. Here legally, she worries about her friends who are not, and Donald Trump's plan to deport millions.

"They're not here to take away jobs. They're not here to make trouble. We are here to work, and to work hard. How worried are they? Extremely worried. That's why I'm here. Because I can't sit at home and not do anything."