Over 200 locals gathered for the People’s March on Jan. 18, which was organized by Bans Off Moscow. It was coordinated with many other marches around the nation on the same day.
Participants met at the Moscow City Hall and, at 2:30 p.m., marched down to East City Park to finish off the day with a rally. They were there to bring awareness to a variety of political issues, highlighting things like abortion bans, environmental issues and the loss of DEI programs.
Many at the march were also there to protest the many actions of Idaho legislators and the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Trump has been sworn into office as of Jan. 20 and has already signed nearly 50 executive actions on his first day, more than any presidents before him. Many of them target the well-being and rights of U.S. citizens.
He is putting higher tariffs on countries such as China, Mexico and Canada. When tariffs are enforced, those fees are passed on to the consumers, meaning we can expect to see a rise in prices of goods from those countries.
He has pardoned multiple people, notably including many of the Trump supporters who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. He also began his mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in major cities, starting in Chicago, which has already led to the arrest of over 1,000 migrants.
Recently in Idaho, we have seen the Legislature ban a multitude of books by passing House Bill 710, allowing for censorship and penalties in schools and public libraries, as well as bills that suppress the rights of trans youth.
Within the past week, the Legislature approved a resolution to petition the Supreme Court to overturn gay marriage. Not to mention, Idaho has some of the most restrictive reproductive rights in the U.S.
In the upcoming years, there will likely be a lot more efforts to remove rights from targeted groups. It is important to keep in mind and take inspiration from demonstrations like the People’s March as we move forward.
Although protesting has its limits and downsides, it has always brought many benefits. Protesting allows us to exercise our freedom of speech; it brings attention and awareness to political issues. Assembly can help people find community and support around them and lead to political change as it has so often in the past. Many of the rights marginalized groups have today were from protests and the people who participated in them.
The actions of our state and federal governments are making people frustrated and worried about their safety and freedom. This is why the People’s March was organized in the first place. Demonstrations like these highlight the importance of community organization and give a productive outlet for the frustration people feel, which is why we should keep this momentum going and continue to organize in the future.
Hilary Valdez can be reached at arg-opinion@uidaho.edu.
Sandyh
May God have mercy. It is what it is. Get on with living in a safer America!