On Saturday, thousands of protesters took over O Street to denounce President Donald Trump’s military parade and policies. Demonstrators waved American flags and held up signs asking for immigration reform, veteran benefits and international education access, among other issues. Lincoln was one of 13 cities in Nebraska to participate in the nationwide “No Kings” protest.
Prior to the protest, Gov. Jim Pillen activated the Nebraska National Guard as a precaution due to the number of planned protests that weekend. The day progressed peacefully across the state, though, and there were no reports of the National Guard being deployed or other law enforcement incidents.
There were two planned protests in Lincoln, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Each lasted over three hours.
Protesters demand change
Shannon Sutherland, a former Marine, marched with a “Veteran against facism” sign. He said he fears that the country is headed toward authoritarianism. After the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, the 60-year-old veteran felt Trump revealed his personally motivated intentions for the country.
“I did not take my oath to support one man. I took my oath of enlistment to support the Constitution,” Sutherland said.
Hailey Fischer, 28, wrote with green chalk on the corner of 15th and O Street. Fischer, who works at an immigration law firm, said since the election, she finds the recent events regarding immigration “messed up.” Fischer decided to take a stand after the ICE raid on an Omaha meat processing plant,
“America is built upon freedom. We’re supposed to be all about freedom, and yet we are trying to deny people who are just searching for freedom, for love, for safety,” she said.
Fischer said people can draw inspiration from the musical “Hamilton,” which is a story about an immigrant founding father of the U.S., written and portrayed on stage by an immigrant.
“We were built upon immigrants,” Fischer said. “We were built upon people of color, and we deserve to remember that, and history has its eyes on us. It’s now or never. If we ignore it, it’s only going to get worse.”
Steve Reichenbach, professor emeritus of computing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said that Trump is damaging universities by restricting access for international students. The 70-year-old said he worries that the barriers for international students will decrease innovation in our country.
“One of the worst things I think Trump has done is made America inhospitable for students from other countries,” Reichenbach said.
Community comes together
Alejandra “Ale” Fernandez organized the “Power to the People” march in the afternoon. More than 150 people marched from 10th Street to 27th Street. Many people from the earlier demonstration stuck around to stand with Fernandez, who is Cuban-American.
“The movement is about people over power. Community over control,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez led the 17-block march while directing chants and guiding the protesters. Local organizers passed out resource sheets to protesters in case of an emergency. Fernandez plans to create additional resources to assist communities in Lincoln and Crete dealing with ICE.
In the 90-degree heat, local vendors supported protesters with water. Fortunato Sanchez, the manager of local Mexican restaurant Cielito Lindo, brought out over two dozen bottles of water for the afternoon protesters.
“It brings me great satisfaction to at least be able to make a small contribution to this movement,” Sanchez said in Spanish.
Erika Cuevas, a daughter of immigrants, carried her “resistance melts ice” sign in red, white and blue down O Street. Cuevas came out to support immigrants and speak out against the injustices happening in her community.
“I hope it unifies people,” she said of the protest. “I’m so thankful to see all the people that are here in Lincoln, that have come out to support this cause. And I hope it gives hope to those who we are fighting for, that we are here for them and that change is coming.”
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METHODOLOGY
To report this story, Jessica Meza attended two protests in Lincoln, Nebraska. Meza did man-on-the-street style interviews with protesters in attendance. All participants consented to the recording and publication of the interviews. Meza did an interview in Spanish with Fortunato Sanchez and translated his interview.
TYPE OF ARTICLE
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
