In Photos: Capturing the Trump Protests

Downtown L.A., Nov. 9

Photo by Anvay Ullal

There is a certain amount of outrage every election cycle, but the emergency protests which took place in Los Angeles felt incredibly different. Looking at the signs that were around me, they read more like a human rights protest than political unrest.

People were whooping and hollering as a lady stood in the middle of the street with her sign reading “end sexism now.” Another man was writing “f-ck your white supremacy” on as many blank white T-shirts as he could.

Though there was plenty of graffiti with “f-ck Donald Trump” littered across the city, the atmosphere was more positive than one would imagine. For every negative sign, there was at least one next to it with a message of love, hope and unity. This was a gathering of citizens who were scared and united in the fight to ensure that basic human rights were afforded to themselves and their brothers and sisters alongside them.

– Anvay Ullal, Photographer

USC Campus, Nov. 10

“It was really heartbreaking to see so many young people protesting the repercussions of an election they did not even have a say in.”

The most powerful moment of the rally for me was when high school and college students started creating a human wall along Trousdale: children of undocumented immigrants were linking arms with members of the LGBTQ+ community, with Asian American students, with African American students and with USC administrators. I felt inspired seeing so many different groups of people united against hatred, and it was comforting to know there is sweeping support for marginalized groups. Their message was clear: “We will not give up, we will keep fighting for our rights, and we are here to stay.”

-Ellice Wang, Photographer

Downtown L.A., Nov. 12

“The image with the most personal meaning was of the man sitting above the crowd with his fist thrust into the air. Not only did I see the time-honored symbol of power in the African-American community, but I saw the famous fists of activists and athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos. I realized we are still fighting the same fight they were in the 1968 Olympics. One would think nearly 50 years would be enough to dispel the racial divide in this country, but it appears that tensions are only growing.” -Emily Smith

On photographing a Trump protest

“I have attended many protests in the last eight or so years, coming from Wisconsin, a state full of political unrest over its governor. This was, however, my first time experiencing it from behind the lens. To me, it was much more powerful this way, and I definitely shed a few tears during the two-hour march. I was actively looking into the souls of those protesting as I deliberated whose expressions and signs to capture.”

-Emily Smith, Photographer

“I never thought of myself as a photojournalist. I didn’t think that I would be the photographer at the scene as it was unfolding. And I didn’t think much of it as I was running around campus into the early hours of Nov. 9. All I knew was that I was enjoying my profession to the fullest extent. It wasn’t until I went to bed that night that I realized I had captured an event that would go down in history.”

-Trevor Sochocki, Daily Trojan Photo Editor

USC Campus, Nov. 10