Early on the morning of November 12, a gunman stepped out of a car on the Morrison Bridge in Portland. Protestors were walking west on the bridge shortly before 1am, and after a small confrontation with a protester, the gunman shot the man in the leg.
This was the first shooting reported so far in the numerous anti-Trump protests throughout the nation. Thousands have taken to the streets this past week to express their fear and anger at the president-elect. In both Portland and D.C., marchers walked downtown, shouting “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA.” In spite of most protesters’ desire to remain peaceful, however, violence and vandalism have occurred. In Oakland on Wednesday, a crowd of about 7,000 gathered, and authorities reported vandalism, graffiti, looting, trash fires in the streets and assault on an officer. The Washington Post writes that in Los Angeles, “thousands of protesters filled the streets, including some who burned a giant papier-mache Trump head in front of City Hall and others who spray-painted profanity on the Los Angeles Times building and on vehicles used by news organizations.” And in addition to Saturday's shooting, protests in Portland have led to the vandalism of businesses, smashed windows and damaged cars .
The exchange of words after November 8 has been just as volatile and concerning.
Protesters have been holding up signs that say “F*** Trump.” Graffitied words such as “Dump Trump” and “Kill Trump” have been sprayed on walls and buildings in big cities. One woman interviewed by CNN “called for violence and death as a means to enact political change.” She told the reporter, “If we don’t fight, who is going to fight for us? People had to die for your freedom where we’re at today … we have to fight back. There will be casualties on both sides. There will be, because people have to die to make a change in this world.”
Even for those who haven’t chosen to take to the streets, reactions to Donald Trump’s election have been just as divisive and emotionally-charged. Some individuals are refusing to speak to family or friends who voted for Trump. Others have found an outlet through social media, making claims that if you voted for Trump, you are not a Christian or accusing Trump supporters of being racist and sexist.
Our country’s response to the election has not surprised me. I wish it had. But the division and tension in our country began long before Trump started his campaign for the presidency; Trump’s election has only magnified and brought to light a preexisting enmity.
Still, I am grieved that a large part of our response has been a rhetoric of hate, that our distress has fostered violence and vandalism. I am grieved that window-fronts in the Pearl District have been broken and that my Facebook feed is filled with divisive comments.
I am grieved because we do have a right to be distressed. We have a right to be shocked and discouraged and outraged. We have a right to get down on our knees and pray and cry. But we do not have the right (nor will we ever) to return evil for evil.
Whatever political change you may want to enact, whether you are for Donald Trump or against him, whether you want him impeached or want him to apologize for the words he has said, you cannot stoop to his level. You cannot use hate-speech to promote love. You cannot compromise your own moral character to criticize that of another man.
The danger of Donald Trump’s presidency exists just as much in his moral example as in any policy he may bring about, and the following four years will be a crucible that will reveal each individual’s true character.
Some citizens have already unmasked their true selves; the day after the election brought solitary acts of hate, specifically against women and people of color. At the same time, many against Trump have expressed hate toward both Trump and his supporters. There has been a lack of understanding on both sides, and the fissure dividing the United States has only widened.
And it will continue to do so unless each individual takes it upon himself to defy Trump’s example of immorality and hate. Unless we stop confining others to a single story, unless we refuse to villainize people who differ from us in religion, race, gender, socioeconomic status or political outlook, the United States will follow where Trump leads.
In the most mundane and crucial ways, the future of our country is up to us. We have to work past ourselves, past our preconceptions and judgments. The votes have already been cast; now it is our actions which will come to define us as individuals and as a nation.
So what does it look like to overcome evil with goodness?
If you support Trump, it involves evaluating his character and discerning where his words, actions and policies are just and where they are not. It starts with the ability to empathize with half the nation’s grief and fear at his election.
If you are against Trump, it looks like listening to the people who voted for him. It’s understanding why a female, Muslim immigrant voted for Trump. It’s realizing that Trump speaks to a large demographic that has been overlooked and that is suffering from poverty, drug addiction and hopelessness. It’s admitting that just because Trump’s example may encourage racism and sexism does not mean that everyone who voted for him is racist or sexist.
Overcoming hatred with love looks like my professor who asked friends on Facebook to share their reasons for supporting Trump. She supported neither candidate in the election but wanted to listen, simply for the sake of understanding.
It looks like my grandmother, who is a Democrat and one of the most empathetic and compassionate people I know. In the midst of her grief at the election, she is striving for self-examination and is asking hard questions about what is broken in both political parties.
It looks like the peaceful protesters in Portland who have volunteered to help clean up the city after the vandalism (committed by individuals not associated with their group) and have raised more than $32,000 to pay for the destruction.
Living with integrity and love doesn’t necessarily entail a grand gesture. It is being faithful to your convictions, valuing your neighbor over your opinions, refusing to utilize hate to enact change, and it is something that we can each accomplish no matter who sits in the Oval Office.
