Donald Trump took the oath as the 47th president on Monday, Jan. 20 at the U.S. Capitol. More than a thousand miles away, protesters rallied at San Marcos City Hall, joining a national Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) movement to denounce his administration’s policies.
While inclement weather moved Trump’s inauguration indoors, Matt Parks, member of the PSL San Marcos chapter, said freezing temperatures wouldn’t stop them from speaking out on issues like immigration, climate change and the war in the Middle East at the We Fight Back rally.
The San Marcos rally was among more than 80 PSL protests held nationwide on Jan. 20, including another one at the Texas Capitol in Austin.
“It is an answer to the incoming Trump administration, what we are trying to get across are the ramifications of Trump being elected, the problems like war and immigration rights that are facing us as communities and as a country,” Parks said.
PSL is a communist and socialist party that advocates for a system where the working class holds power over economic and political decisions.
Sol Huerta, an organizer of the rally and a founding member of the San Marcos PSL chapter, expressed pride in the momentum their first event generated, drawing approximately 50 attendees from the community.
“I’m queer, I’m trans, I’m Mexican and it was just terrifying to be a 17-year-old when [Trump] was first elected and now I hope that even if people weren’t here and they see it on Instagram or they were driving by they know they are not alone,” Huerta said.
Rally organizers delivered speeches in front of San Marcos City Hall, which Huerta said was a deliberate move to send a message to the local government about the impact of Trump’s policies on the San Marcos community.
The speeches addressed issues such as officer-involved shootings, including the case of Malachi Williams, and the Palestine-Israel conflict with a particular focus on the San Marcos City Council’s decision to not pass a ceasefire resolution.
“It feels very isolating, but that’s what capitalism does, it makes us feel isolated on purpose so we can’t fight back and win our rights,” Huerta said. “That’s why I kept going back to the chant, in English and Spanish, ‘The people united will never be defeated’ and that’s what I hope everyone took away from the rally.”
Protestors marched from city hall through downtown San Marcos and stopped in front of the Hays County Courthouse where they held a sign reading “The People United Will Defend Immigrant Families.”
Miles Brownlee, another organizer, said Monday’s rally held a greater significance as it coincided with both inauguration day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“Now, 57 years after Dr. King was murdered, we are taking a stand against the very same system that he spent his life fighting,” Brownlee said.
The inauguration symbolizes the official transition of presidential power, as control moves from the Biden administration to the Trump administration. The 20th Amendment states a president’s term ends at noon on Jan. 20, with the incoming president being sworn in immediately afterward.
Charlie Garner, a criminal justice freshman, said she has been eager to get more involved in the community since moving from Uvalde, Texas, and the We Fight Back rally aligned with her values.
“I saw these fliers around town with things like ‘for women’s rights’ and ‘money for people’s needs’ and thought this is a good way to make a difference so here I am,” Garner said.
Destiny Peña, a leader in PSL San Antonio, attended the San Marcos protest to support the newly formed chapter. She said Trump’s cabinet members fail to represent the needs of the average American, which was one of the key reasons she joined the inauguration-day rally in San Marcos.
“The experience of being a working-class person in this society, where I know that these policies don’t benefit me or my family and we’re tired of it. We’re tired of living paycheck to paycheck and struggling,” Peña said. “Living in poverty, having to navigate the healthcare system when I had cancer, these are just some reasons I am here fighting for a better society.”
The rally concluded back at city hall with a final speech from Huerta, reinforcing the movement’s message and urging continued action as Trump takes on his second term as president of the U.S.
