Hundreds of people gathered in Wichita’s Old Town Friday night for what they called a “Love Trumps Hate” demonstration in reaction to Donald Trump’s presidential win this week.
Organizers say the gathering was spurred by fears over Trump’s possible policies in regards to immigrants, Muslims, Latinos and the LGBT community. Similar protests have been held in cities across the country.
Wichita activist Djuan Wash and Wichita Pride board member Evan Shaheen stepped in to lead the protest when its two original organizers backed down after receiving threats online. Wash said before the rally that he wants the demonstration to result in political action.
“We can still make an impact on local politics," he said. "We can still encourage our city council to make sure they are representing all of us, all of the various different communities that will be present here tonight. We can make sure that our state Legislature is doing the right thing in representing all of us.”
Several Trump supporters also attended, some of them holding a "Make America Great Again" flag. The entire demonstration remained peaceful.
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