Lafayette Women's March turns out 800
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Lafayette's Women's March on Washington solidarity event was not a somber affair. In fact, only George Rogers Clark, George Washington and Tecumseh, surveying the scene from the Tippecanoe County Courthouse façade, appeared stone-faced.
The crowd that turned out on Saturday afternoon was made up of women, men, children and quite a few dogs. They smiled, danced, sang, chanted and waved signs decrying President Donald Trump, asking for unity or speaking specifically to policies proposed by Trump. The march was one of hundreds held around the country uniting against a Trump administration agenda.
Patrol officer Heath Provo estimated the crowd at a little over 800 people. Officers initially shut down one lane of traffic on Columbia Street to accommodate the rally. As protesters continued to arrive, however, the entire street was cordoned off.
Speakers at the event touched on a wide range of topics from women’s rights, to healthcare and educational policy to basic human decency. Although the topics fluctuated and the microphone didn’t always carry the sound, one voice rang clear, that of the crowd. Their cheers carried throughout downtown Lafayette and the presence of nearly 800 protesters spoke volumes.
They didn’t come to push specific policies. They didn’t come to bemoan the fate of the progressive agenda. They came to be a part of something, they came for their children and they came to keep moving forward.
“Those of us who are a little older remember the Great Society,” said Michele Tomarelli. “We remember when the civil rights marches were going on. We’ve made gains. … We’re not going to let them push us backwards.”
Cory and Natalie Guthrie spoke about the future they want for their children and how Trump’s behavior is in direct opposition to that vision.
“I’m here not to protest Donald Trump the man but his behavior. It is detestable and sets a bad example for my children,” Cory Guthrie said as his daughter tried to catapult herself on to his shoulders.
“I want my daughter to have equal rights with my son,” Natalie Guthrie added.
West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis, who spoke at the rally and attended with his grandson, echoed these sentiments.
“People need to understand it’s all about decency. … When I was a kid they used these poetic analogies, you know, sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. We’ve evolved from that, we now know words do hurt,” Dennis said.
Many protesters felt Trump's rhetoric and behavior has been consistently sexist and racist, a pattern they find hurtful and unnerving. Many said they came to this event because it was something tangible they could do to combat these emotions and fears.
“I haven’t stopped crying in the last 24 hours because I don’t know how to process any of this,” said public school teacher Elizabeth Hudson. “This felt like the right thing to do.”
Stephanie Gutierrez, a first generation immigrant, said she came to allay an increasing sense of fear and isolation.
“When I watched the results of the election it was really discouraging and I felt like the country was against me. … Being around these people that support and feel the things I do is comforting and uplifting,” Gutierrez said.
And that sense of community, said Vicky Woeste, an event organizer, was precisely the point of the rally.
"Everybody has or knows someone who has a target on their back," she said. "This is the start of a movement in which we reform our community. We redefine what we are and what we believe."
Speaker and event organizer River Karner helped the crowd in this process towards the end of the event. She asked everyone to turn to a neighbor and ask "how can I help you get where you want to go?"
Friends, lovers, strangers and community leaders turned to each other and began to speak. The din of conversation drowned out nearby traffic as the sound of people's hopes, fears and dreams for the next four years gradually filled the air.
Call J&C reporter Emma Ea Ambrose at 765-431-1192. Follow her on Twitter: @emma_ea_ambrose.