"He Will Not Divide Us." Five simple words that have been the core of a projected four-year online movement that has been started by movie star Shia LaBeouf in protest against Donald Trump's presidency. Located in Queens, New York, LeBouf has taken over an outdoor exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image where he plans to stay for the next four years constantly repeating "He Will Not Divide Us", in reference to President Trump.
As my friends and I watched the online live stream of the event from our small residence hall in the Bronx, we saw more and more people gather around the camera chanting "He Will Not Divide Us" with LaBouf, in several different rhythmic renditions. Due to our proximity to the event, we wanted to see what all of the hype was about with our own eyes, and not just by means of a computer screen. So, we hopped on the 1 train and made our way to Queens to spend the afternoon with Shia LaBeouf.
When we first got to the site, Shia was nowhere to be found. What we did see was a group of about twenty-five people chanting the phrase "He Will Not Divide Us" into a small camera that portrayed the event to viewers across the world. After about ten minutes or so, Shia finally made an appearance. Now you may remember Shia LaBeouf from when he played Louis Stevens from Even Stevens or Stanly Yelnats from Holes. Believe
Shia came walking down the block smoking a cigarette, sporting "normal people" clothes and carrying a Starbucks cup that may or may not have contained Starbucks in it. Regardless of what was in his cup, Shia had a look of passion and persistence in his eyes. He returned from whatever he had gone to take care of and resumed his role as leader of this movement. He assumed his position in front of the camera and began chanting, "He Will Not Divide Us".
Spending the afternoon observing (rather than participating in) this event taught me a lot about the power that we as the people actually have. It made me realize that in order to initiate a movement, all we need is a webcam and some celebrity recognition. The rest will fall into place. LaBeouf clearly has a strong opposition towards President Trump and used his name recognition to rally up people for his movement. I don't feel that there is anything wrong with that. Besides the people who are physically present at this event, LaBeouf is even able to rally up more people through the live internet stream. It's amazing to think that we as a people can participate in a movement while sitting on our couches.
People at this event who had just met for the first time that day were uniting for a cause that they all share a strong stance on. Whether or not I agree with their views, I respect them for leaving their houses and participating in a movement rather than Tweeting or posting about their grievances. I heard one man say how he had just planned to stop by for a little while and ended up staying there for four hours. That is persistence that I, personally, do not have.
Just like any other movement, this movement has seen opposers in recent days and it has been making national headlines. A few days ago, an alleged neo-Nazi man put himself in front of the camera to display his own beliefs. Shia was not very happy about this (rightfully so), and got physical with the man. La Beouf's behavior was a little overbearing and resulted in him being arrested. Just a reminder, that all of this is occurring on a live stream for citizens to see across the country. Luckily, Shia has since been released but he has yet to be seen back on the live stream from the time I am writing this article. Hopefully, he will be back soon.
Although this movement will most likely not change who our president is, it is a great outlet for those frustrated by the outcome of this election by expressing their grievances to the world, alongside a celebrity nonetheless. Movements like this show that with today's technology with the combination of a little star power, our voices can be heard by the masses, and we as a people have more power and a bigger voice than we think.
