Resistance in Iowa: Hundreds flood the streets to protest Trump's visit

Hours before Trump arrived at his pep rally in Cedar Rapids, people from across the state took to the streets to protest his agenda.

Chanting “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here,” they made their message known: Despite winning the state, Trump does not speak for all Iowans.

Local leaders, including state representatives and college students, spoke out against Trump’s policies on health care, education, and massive tax breaks for the wealthy.

The crowd was passionate and dedicated, showing up hours before Trump spoke, and many staying through the end of the rally. And they did so peacefully. As local news station KCRG in Cedar Rapids reported:

REPORTER: Hundreds of people lined First Avenue, protesting the arrival or President Trump. Each person had his or her own reason for joining the protest. Hot topics included health care, climate change and immigration. For hours, protesters chanted and listened to speeches about those issues. While many protesters were from Cedar Rapids, others travelled from across the state to voice their concern. Several protesters say they want President Trump to know not all Iowans support his policies.

LOCAL WOMAN: I think when you look at what his agenda has been, as far as Russia goes, workers, collective bargaining, there’s so many things. There’s nothing I can think of that he’s been for, like pulling out of the Paris climate agreement, that I wouldn’t want to resist.

LOCAL WOMAN: I mean you hear them. We all have different platforms, we all have different reasons why we’re here.

REPORTER: There were multiple officers out during the protest. Law enforcement tells us they made no arrests during that time. Those were just some of the protestors outside of the arena. Inside, a few protestors were escorted out of the rally.

According to event organizers Americans for Democratic Action Iowa, cosponsors included Women’s March Iowa, Iowa Federation of Labor, Indivisible Iowa, University of Iowa Dream Iowa, Planned Parenthood Voters, and Iowans for Public Education.

The Women’s March on the day after Trump’s inauguration was only the beginning.

The resistance is diverse. The resistance is strong. And the resistance is here to stay.