A quieter sort of anti-Trump protest, with picnic food and calls for action
In the days since Donald Trump’s election, thousands have marched in Los Angeles, waving signs and shouting their disapproval of the president-elect over the growl of helicopter blades and the wail of police sirens.
On Sunday afternoon at Silver Lake Meadow, about 500 people gathered for a quieter form of protest. Mostly women, they sat in circles, spread blankets and shared picnic food as they talked about how to present a brave face to fearful children, how to defuse their own anger toward Trump supporters and how to turn their emotions into activism.
Hillary Clinton’s loss felt personal for the event’s organizers, Kara Durrett and Ellen Etten, who work as personal assistants in Hollywood. Election night had them both in tears, and they were up until the early hours of the morning, texting each other stunned, disbelieving messages. Both said the election loss felt like a breakup.
“It’s like the country broke up with you, but you realized that you should have never been dating anyway,” said Durrett, 29.
“Now we’re in the phase where we’re going to the gym all the time and trying new things,” added Etten, who is 34.
Neither one is an experienced political activist. Three days before, the women created a Facebook event and invited their friends to come discuss how to go forward after Clinton’s defeat.
“Let’s gather to share words of inspiration, ideas for action, or simply grieve with one another as needed. In these challenging moments, we must come together and remember that we are not alone, and we are powerful,” they wrote.
They thought about 50 people would show up. But more than 1,000 said they planned to come.
So Durrett and Etten set up a sign-in sheet, a mailing list and a new Facebook group called Stronger Together LA. They were, said a friend, “flying by the seat of their pantsuits.”
They showed up at Silver Lake Meadow with a case of water, a borrowed table and silver balloons in the shape of the letters P, S and N, as in Pantsuit Nation.
They didn’t think to get a permit. They had no speakers or megaphones. Durrett stood on a chair and shouted a greeting to the crowd before people split into smaller groups.
In one circle, people shared and dispelled some of the many rumors bouncing around social media — for example, that the viral efforts to donate to Planned Parenthood on behalf of Vice President-elect Mike Pence would wind up giving him a big tax break. After some discussion, they all agreed that those who wanted to donate to Planned Parenthood would be better off not mentioning Pence.
In another circle, someone argued that calling local politicians would be far more effective than signing online petitions. Another asked which politician to call. No one knew.
Others discussed how California could fight potential Trump policies, and the need to donate to Foster Campbell, a Louisiana Democrat facing a runoff election for the U.S. Senate next month.
In the crowd was evidence of plenty of female pride: Rosie the Riveter lunchboxes, T-shirts that proclaimed “The Future Is Female.”
Exit polls have suggested that more than half of white women voters chose Trump. That demographic was the majority of those gathered on Sunday. Some found that particular voting postmortem hard to swallow.
“Devastating, disappointing. Total shock,” said screenwriter Tara Miele.
Miele chalked it up to subconscious sexism from women.
“It’s a reaction against a type of woman that wants to sit at the table and not just stand behind her man,” she said.
Some women vowed to confront their own families. Alyson Lippert, 26, said she would no longer be shy about sharing her political opinions with her conservative Kansas family.
She said she was heading home for Thanksgiving, and “I’m going to be the loudest person there. I’m going to be screaming.”
Jackie Tavelman, 60, a high school teacher in West Los Angeles, said she spends her days this time of year writing college recommendation letters for students. Some are undocumented and now don’t know whether they’ll be deported before they can go.
She came to the gathering for them.
“I wanted to take action in a constructive way and hopefully bring some information back to my students who need to know what will happen to them,” Tavelman said.
Etten said she and Durrett still are deciding what they’ll do next. They plan to meet monthly and disseminate information about anti-Trump initiatives via their Facebook group.
“This is just a beginning,” she said.
Twitter: @frankshyong
ALSO
Many Trump protesters say this is the first time they’ve protested anything
Trump Tower drawing job seekers, celebrities, media — and thousands of protesters
Tempers on both sides flare in California after Trump’s unexpected election victory
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
