Signs of Protest - Kansas City
Photographer: Rusty Leffel
Exhibit Title: Signs of Protest - Kansas City
Location: United States
In 2016 in an election for the President of the United States of America, "hate" has become a central election year issue. In the news we see fistfights and rhetorical bullying from inside the rallies. In the meantime, outside on the sidewalks another phenomenon is going on - the mix of Americans seeking to overcome hate, love others and look for a better future for our country.
This exhibit views the sidewalks in Kansas City before the Trump for President rally at the Midland Theatre March 12. Homemade signs, sincere expressions, children, young people - all cheer for a better America than that being experienced in the election..
Note: The police split the street for the event. The east side had no barriers. After these photographs and after the rally, the east sidewalk crowd bulged and stepped over the curb into the street. Horses and pepper spray then substituted for poorly planned crowd control - but just 4-5 arrests.
Since a Trump for President rally was being held within a few miles of my home, I thought I would just go to see what was up. I took photographs and talked with people and was a witness to this part of election 2016 in the US.
What struck me the most were so many signs that were basically anti-hate. Yes, there were signs that were anti-Trump / Nazism / Fascism / Racism. Yes, Westboro Baptist Church was there with its own brand of hate speech. But what seemed to me to predominate were the individual people with their own homemade signs there on a drizzly afternoon on a sidewalk downtown.
One lady told me that she was there because she just did not want in the future to have to face her grandchildren unless she could say she was there doing her part to speak out.
My guess is that everyone there that day will further demonstrate by voting in November - as we all should.
Rusty Leffel Photographs
Email: rcleffel@aol.com
Website: www.rustyleffel.com
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