New Yorkers of all ages across the city walked out of their workplaces and schools on Tuesday afternoon to protest ICE raids and President Trump on the first anniversary of his return to the Oval Office.
Demonstrators began gathering on the afternoon of Jan. 20 outside of Trump Tower along 5th Avenue to march against Trump over the mass deployment of ICE agents across the country and concerns that the United States may soon attack its NATO allies in Greenland.
Looking to show their displeasure, New York locals held signs — many of which were laced with profanity — in the frigid, windswept streets outside the president’s namesake. Protesters spoke to amNewYork regarding their fury over everything from ICE flooding the streets to the president’s proposed takeover of Greenland.
Anne Holmes, 70, said she joined the national walkout to express outrage over Trump’s threats to an allied country, and the almost casual way it is being spoken about.
“Every day has been a horror show since the inauguration of Donald Trump last year, and now he’s stepping over the line again with an imperialist maneuver about taking over another country, an ally that we’ve worked with for decades together. He’s destroyed every good relationship his country has in the world,” Holmes said. “Why are we even having this conversation? Imperialism, we’re done with that. That’s not our game anymore, that’s Putin’s game.”
After 2 p.m., the several hundred protesters standing staring down Trump Tower were bolstered by several hundred more students who had left school to express their own outrage. Isabelle Rosse, 17, of Elizabeth Irwin High School, said she joined the demonstration because she is furious over ICE arrests.
“We f**king hate Trump, and I want him to know that. I think that the youth need to take control. It’s really good to see my classmates coming and actually supporting and trying to do something, because we feel so powerless,” Rosse said. “I think that ICE is another level of terrorism in the country, that is just not okay.”
Together, protesters huddled in the plummeting temperatures and looked to show their defiance by singing “This Land Is Our Land.” Despite the cold, those like 62-year-old Lisa Reiner said they wanted to show elected officials backing Trump that many citizens don’t approve of the direction the country is heading.
“It’s a disgrace that he’s overspending on immigration. We don’t need what he’s doing in America. Immigration doesn’t need to be policing our cities. He’s taking money from who knows where and he’s making money from his position. He’s a disgrace,” Reiner said.
Like Renier, 67-year-old Neil Leibowitz also said he wants to show Trump’s allies that Americans are angry. However, international relations are his biggest concern, including the deadly strikes seen in the waters surrounding Venezuela.
“The insane pursuit of Greenland and the killing of innocent fishermen off Venezuela. I think that the people around Trump need to see how unpopular his policies are so that they will change and help us depose him,” Leibowitz said.
Following the gathering outside Trump Tower, hundreds more assembled for an anti-Trump march, setting off from outside the New York Public Library.
