Yelling at strangers while the crowd fills the street, preaching about issues that revolve around human rights, hate being spewed from left and right sides. A typical protest can consist of these things.

The last election results were shocking to people all over the nation, causing protests to break out. One protest that seems to be controversial is the ‘not my president’ protest. ‘Not my president’ can have different meanings for those that are protesting, but generally means that they do not agree with the ideals of President-elect, Donald Trump.

Junior Maggie Jones said, “I don’t say this personally because I know that Donald Trump is obviously going to be the next president regardless of what I think. However, to some people, Donald Trump has said things that personally affected them. I think that the way he speaks about women, people who have disabilities and minorities really disturbs some and they do not agree with who the electoral college chose.”

Most people are aware of the fact that protesting after the election will not have a large affect on Trump after the election, but many believe that speaking out on an issue is the best way to spread awareness about where those who are against Trump are coming from. Although some believe protests are helping, others think that it is causing more separation in society and will not help.

Senior Caleb Squires said, “People are angry about Trump, I don’t think it’s [protesting] effective because it won’t change anything.”

A big reason as to why Americans feel uneasy about the past election is because of how much people wanted to see a female become president. Not only would that change history, but many believed Clinton would improve America’s social issues. When Clinton won the popular vote, it seemed as if she was automatically president, but many forget that the electoral college is the sole deciding factor in elections. As Trump was voted in by the electoral voters, many felt it was hard to accept the results since the majority of Americans voted Clinton.

Despite the amount of peaceful protests, many are seen as ignorant because of the way that they are still preaching about the election being unfair or inhumane because of what Trump stands for. The media has viewed protesters to be disruptive, but many often forget where they are coming from.

Jones said, “Anyway we protest we will be criticized for it. But, I think the best thing we can do is fight back (not literally) but raising awareness and trying to combat the hate that has come along with Mr. Trump’s campaign. Personally, I am more motivated than ever to raise awareness and start fighting for a change.”

The biggest thing for those that do not support Trump is that they disagree with what he has said in the past and during his campaign. He has made homophobic Islamophobic sexist and racist remarks, making those that fit into any of those categories, feel unsafe and fearful for what he may enact during his term.

Senior Arleigh Kraker said, “People are fearful of Trump because of the public and hateful way he has talked about huge groups of people. His attitudes toward pretty much any minority are enough to scare and shock people who are in those minority groups. He has threatened to deport people and there is video evidence of him bragging about sexually assaulting women. Not only does that create fear of Trump himself, but it enables his supporters to act that way and hurt people in their communities.”