Donald Trump is set to appear at the University of Illinois Chicago on Friday and the news of his appearance has been met with opposition from the university’s staff and students, along with leaders of Chicago’s Latino community. The U.S. Census states that 28.9 percent of Chicago’s residents identify as Hispanic.
In order to show solidarity and express their disapproval towards Trump’s candidacy, the leaders are requesting that constituents rally together outside the UIC Pavilion doors on Friday. “Chicago has an incredibly proud tradition of being inclusive, of bringing people together,” said the city’s Rep. Luis Gutierrez, “And Mr. Trump has the tradition of division, of hatred, of bigotry, of prejudice. We are asking all of Chicago to stand up.”
In fear of the rally turning violent, one student leader at ICU, Jorge Mena, has received 40,000 signatures on petition asking how security is going to be handled at the rally and where the funds to pay for the security will come from. Other students and faculty of UIC with the same concerns have penned a letter asking for Trump’s rally to be cancelled.
“We are…concerned for the safety of the diverse staff and team of student employees who work at the UIC Pavilion,” says the letter. The letter also quotes Mena’s petition which states, “In any other instance, if known white supremacists and hate groups with a pattern of violence were found out to be planning to rally on campus, the university would likely (or hopefully) be implementing support and safety plans for students. But in this instance, it’s signing rental agreements.”
Fearing violence, as well, the community leaders have asked for the protesters not to enter the rally but to instead to gather in the streets. Rep. Gutierrez hopes that the protest will reign in support from the Muslim, LGBTQ, and other minority communities along with those in support of women’s rights. In a letter to the campus, UIC Chancellor Michael D. Amiridis stated that the university is not endorsing any candidate but rather is simply allowing the space to be rented.
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