In Chicago, Trump to face protest by Latino leaders

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• published: 08 Mar 2016
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acoalition of local Latino elected officials and leaders said Monday they are organizing a protest to counter Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's appearance at the University of Illinois at Chicago on Friday, while university faculty and students are objecting as well. Surrounded by supporters and local aldermen, Democratic U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Chicago said that the leaders are asking constituents to show up outside UIC Pavilion doors to express their opposition to Trump's candidacy. "We want to raise our voices because the city of Chicago has an incredibly proud tradition of being inclusive, of bringing people together," Gutierrez said. "And Mr. Trump has the tradition of division, of hatred, of bigotry, of prejudice. We are asking all of Chicago to stand up." Hispanic leaders across the country have been trying to draw attention to Trump's stance on immigration. He has said that, if elected, he will build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border — and try to make Mexico pay for it. He also has labeled Mexican immigrants as drug mules, rapists and criminals. Local leaders learned about Trump's rally over the weekend and immediately began organizing a protest, Gutierrez said. They are not encouraging protesters to go inside the rally, fearing that it could become violent, he said. Instead, they are hoping to gather a diverse group to take over the streets outside. "We cannot simply stand by and allow Donald Trump to come to this pavilion and speak without our Chicago community being heard forcefully," Gutierrez said, standing outside the Near West Side arena on Monday morning. "We will counter hatred with inclusion. We will counter bigotry with love. We will counter prejudice with understanding." The planned protest comes as dozens of UIC faculty and staff have signed off on a letter asking administrators to cancel the rally because it could turn violent. More than 40,000 signatures were collected on a petition started by a student leader asking how security would be handled and who would pay for it. "We are deeply distressed that this event threatens to create a hostile and physically dangerous environment to the students, staff, faculty and alumni who come out to express their opposition," the letter stated. "We are also concerned for the safety of the diverse staff and team of student employees who work at the UIC Pavilion." The letter quotes a graduate student, Jorge Mena, who created the MoveOn.org petition that is circulating among students and graduates. "In any other instance, if known white supremacists and hate groups with a pattern of violence were found out to be planning to rally on campus, the university would likely (or hopefully) be implementing support and safety plans for students. But in this instance, it's signing rental agreements," he said in the letter. In a letter to students, faculty and staff, UIC Chancellor Michael D. Amiridis said the school is not endorsing any political candidate but will allow the space to be rented. The Trump rally will be his first appearance in Illinois since November and comes just days before Illinois' March 15 primary. According to the U.S. census, 28.9 percent of Chicago's population identify as Hispanic. About 21.4 percent are from Mexico. Gutierrez said the organizing has just started but he hopes that representatives from Chicago's Muslim communities, the LGBTQ communities, those who support women's rights and other minorities also will attend the outdoor protest. In addition to his stance on Mexicans, Trump has called some women disgusting and said he would keep Muslims from entering the country if elected. Most recently, he was slow to denounce support from white supremacist groups. Last week, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Trump is "playing with dark forces" and his candidacy has divided the Republican Party and will divide America. Long before that, Trump sparred with the mayor and the city because of the huge "Trump" sign placed on the front of his building, which dominates the Riverfront scenery and many say is an eyesore. Despite critics who called the sign ugly and Emanuel's push to get it removed, the sign stayed.