USC, UCLA students stage walkout to protest Trump

USC and UCLA students held a joint walkout across their campuses Wednesday afternoon, urging administrators to provide a space for minority communities and anyone else affected by the election to voice their opinions and frustrations.

About 100 USC students gathered around Traveler at 3 p.m. to express their opinions about President-elect Donald Trump and speak on related issues of discrimination, white supremacy, immigration and cultural identity. In addition, organizers of the walkout provided a petition for USC Student Affairs to create a sanctuary campus at USC for undocumented students. The organizers also provided letters to sign and send to the electors to change their vote before it is cast on Dec. 19.

Tomas Mier, an organizer for the walkout and a writer for the Daily Trojan, said it was important to give a chance for members of the diverse USC community to have their voices heard.

“USC is a place where there is a lot of different colors of skin, different ethnicities, races and sexual orientations,” Mier said. “I feel like it’s important to stand up to the divisive rhetoric that was spread by the president-elect.”

Many students came to voice their frustrations on the outcome of the election. Nicole Hajiwara, a junior majoring in communication, was not only upset by the election results, but also by the number of people who voted for Trump. She hopes to make a change by signing the petition for a sanctuary campus.

“It was kind of a shock to me, this whole election, not that Trump won but that so many people in this country have so much hate in their hearts,” Hajiwara said. “The fact that he ran his entire election on hate, it is really disappointing to me.”

Others came to speak out against speeches Trump has made and the people he has appointed to his cabinet, including Steve Bannon, an editor at Breitbart news, who has made statements promoting white supremacy.

“It’s a very scary time,” said Kenia Gomez, a junior majoring in psychology. “It’s uncomfortable just to stay home and be upset about it, so I’d rather be united and in solidarity with people who feel similar.”

Even those who were not part of a minority community came to stand with those who were fearful, including Constant Williams, a junior majoring in creative writing.

“I just want to show support for all of the marginalized people being affected by this presidency,” Williams said.

After allowing a few minutes for the crowd to gather around Traveler, Mier opened the walkout with a quick speech.

“Let’s make it clear that Trump is not our president,” Mier said, starting a chant of “Not my president,” which turned into “Si se puede,” Spanish for “yes we can.”

For the rest of the time, those in attendance took turns sharing their opinions and fears from the top of the Patsy and Forrest Shumway Fountain. One student was especially worried about Trump’s climate change policy, or lack thereof.

“He’s attempting to put a man in charge of the transition of the EPA who doesn’t believe in climate change,” said Grace Bandeen, a junior majoring in international relations and cinematic arts, critical studies, to a chorus of boos. “Our planet is in such dire condition right now, and the next four years, the next 20 years, the next hundred years are going to make a huge impact.”

For the next hour, students talked about practicing activism in the classroom, getting advice from teachers, demanding that the University appoint a Chief Diversity Officer and explaining their fears about a Trump presidency. By the end of the hour, protesters marched to Bovard Auditorium to submit their petition for the University to become a sanctuary campus.