By Jessica Dortch, Afro Staff, jdortch@afro.com
There is nothing subtle about President Donald Trump, and his first visit to Baltimore, since his Twitter attack against the city, was anything but that. Several streets were closed in Harbor East on Sept. 12 in preparation for the president’s arrival at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel later that evening, but that didn’t stop people from coming out in droves to protest just a few blocks away.
The atmosphere was electrifying as Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Asians, and, essentially, the face of Baltimore gathered at the corner of Eastern Avenue and S. President Street to sing and chant in the name of change.
An inflatable exterminator labeled “Corruption Cleanup” stands amongst protestors.
This protest was part of a series of activities during the week dubbed as the “Welcoming Committee.” Groups like ICE Out of Baltimore Coalition, Peoples Power Assembly, Youth Against War and Racism, and a host of others organized this event. The protest specifically addressed issues of racism, bigotry, refugee camps, climate change, and the question of war. “Basically we were highlighting the policies that people find so offensive and of interest to people in our country and particularly in our city,” Sharon Black, one of the Peoples Power Assembly organizers, tells the AFRO.
As I looked around the crowd, I saw various costumes decorated with one special element: a rat. “I’m here because the rats are here and I’m the exterminator!” Baltimore City resident, Lisa Jackson, explained to the AFRO.
In a series of tweets on Jul. 27, President Trump calls Congressman Cummings’ district, Baltimore, a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.”
A few weeks ago, President Trump attacked the Capitol’s neighboring cousin, Baltimore, accusing the city of being rat and rodent infested and condemning Congressman Elijah Cummings. Black told the AFRO, holding back laughter, that the younger activists chose “rats out of the street’ as the overarching theme for the event. “The people of Baltimore, especially young people, are deeply opposed to Trump’s policies of racism and division, whether it’s his attacks on migrants or refugees or his not so veiled racist attacks on Black and Brown people,” Miranda Bachman, Youth Against War and Racism and ICE Out of Baltimore organizer, said in a statement.
Donald Trump is the most controversial, divisive, and arrogant president in our nation’s history. He appeals to his supporters by magnifying issues like immigration and border control and minimizes major issues like healthcare, race relations, gun violence, and drug addiction. “The president is not above the law, and we are not going anywhere,” protestor Sonia Shah told the AFRO.
ICE Out of Baltimore Coalition aims to shut down refugee detention camps and defend immigrants.
In the past, rallies and events surrounding President Trump have attracted international attention for being unruly, wild, and dangerous. Black Chevy Suburbans lined the streets and the police force was on guard, but protestors had no reason to be afraid. The main tactic of this protest was civil disobedience, and although there were many spirited protestors in the large crowd, people stayed focused on the message and not the madness.
“The protest will confront all of Trump’s policies including the climate crisis and the threat of war and sanctions whether it’s Venezuela, Iran or any other country. We firmly believe what Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “that every bomb dropped is one that is also dropped on our cities.” Money spent on the Pentagon could be used to house, educate and feed the people right here in Baltimore,” Bachman said.