New Orleans hits the streets against Trump’s executive orders

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, February 1 New Orleanians from diverse communities took the busy downtown streets at rush-hour to voice their anger. The protest was organized by the Queer and Trans Community Action Project (QTCAP) in response to several executive orders that Donald Trump passed in his first few days as president. Around 100 protesters marched with signs and flags behind a banner reading “Protect LGBTQ+ youth!”

The march featured chants and speakers reflecting the wide range of attacks that Trump has launched against immigrants, trans people and reproductive rights. Some protesters carried the flags of countries like Mexico and Honduras to show their pride and commitment to defending immigrants from Trump’s attacks. Trans speakers repeatedly encouraged solidarity with immigrants facing repression with chants like “We’re here, we’re queer, immigrants are welcome here!”

Protesters first gathered at the Hale-Boggs Federal Building in downtown New Orleans. Streets were crowded with cars and pedestrians as New Orleans prepares to host the Super Bowl and as Mardi Gras season begins. Speakers from QTCAP and Union Migrante, a grassroots immigrant-rights organization, fired up the crowd to take the busy streets. QTCAP organizer Molly Frayle said, “Trump has been clear and open about his repressive agenda, and we have been angry. Now we must channel our anger and build resistance!”

The crowd marched to the downtown tower that houses ICE’s New Orleans office, chanting “El pueblo unido, jamas sera vencido!” Adam Pedescleaux of New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police told the protesters, “Trump and Landry are in a marriage to ruin our lives,” adding, “They want to bring slavery back! That is why it is important that we fight for community control of the police.”

The protest then marched on nearby New Orleans City Hall. The area in front of City Hall, including the sidewalk, was blocked off with caution tape for Super Bowl-related renovations. So, protesters took the whole block in order to stop and give final speeches in front of the building, with protest marshals rushing to redirect traffic for safety.

A Students for a Democratic Society member said “As a foreign student, I almost decided not to come out and speak to you today but now is not the time to hide. It is time to fight!” SDS members from three New Orleans universities endorsed the march and supported it by leading chants and providing security.

Trans Income Project (TIP) is a local grassroots relief organization by and for trans people. A TIP speaker emphasized the resilience of the trans community and reminded protesters that they can give and receive direct support from their communities, despite inhumane treatment and targeted attacks from the government.

Lucas Harell, a trans college student and member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, delivered a fiery speech. He told the crowd “Right now we stand at a turning point in history; we live in a time where reactionary forces embodied in Donald Trump and his allies seek to drag us backward, to divide us and to erode the very fabric of our collective progress. But we in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization say we will not give up. We will not bow to the forces of greed, hate and oppression.”

Protesters departed from City Hall to march towards Canal Street, the epicenter of downtown New Orleans. As the police realized where the march was heading, they attempted to mislead the protesters and say that Canal Street was “off-limits” for multiple reasons. One officer stood in front of the protest signaling in the direction that the march had come from. The protesters asserted their First Amendment rights and marched directly past the officer to remain on their planned route.

The energy on Canal Street was high as the determined protesters occupied three lanes of traffic. While a few Trump supporting tourists yelled obnoxiously, the march received claps, cheers and raised fists from most of the workers and onlookers they passed. Participants and organizers committed to continue taking the streets in response to Trump’s attacks to show their opposition, their strength and their collective perseverance. Marching under the palm trees and sunset the crowd chanted “Who’s streets? Our streets!”

#NewOrleansLA #LGBTQ #QTCAP #NOCOP #SDS #TIP #FRSO