In the wake of a highly anticipated political rally for Donald Trump at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island, a wave of protest is set to unfold. Demonstrations are planned by various groups, each with their own message and mission.
Reports indicate that designated areas have been established for protesters to ensure safety and order during the demonstrations. Law enforcement agencies, including Nassau County police and federal entities, are collaborating to secure the event, safeguarding not only the attendees but also the protesters and the surrounding community.
New York State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs planned to lead a rally of hundreds of protesters outside the venue at noon, located in the front of the coliseum in “the free speech zone,” according to a news release from Nassau County Democrats.
Organizers of the protests aim to “reject Trump’s extremism” and to address Long Island Republicans’ “dangerous shift” in supporting a Trump-aligned agenda “betraying voters,” the release stated.
The rally will “call out Long Island Republican officials for embracing Donald Trump’s ‘hard right turn’ that betrays suburban voters and caters to the most extreme elements of the Republican party.”
“As Long Island faces challenges such as high property taxes and increasing cost of living, local leaders are standing together to highlight how Trump and local Republicans’ shift towards extremism leaves behind the priorities of suburban families,” the release continued. “The event will underscore the need for responsible, centrist leadership that addresses the real concerns of Long Island residents.”
At 3 p.m., Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages, a Democrat from Valley Stream, will join a coalition of Haitian Americans in protesting Trump’s rally, her office said. The group is condemning remarks repeatedly made recently by Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, in which they falsely accused Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, of eating residents’ cats and dogs.
Protestors wish to call the attention of the public to the devastating impact that these false claims have made on the Haitian community, not only in Springfield, Ohio, but elsewhere. They will also call for stronger protections for Haitian individuals across the United States, and demand accountability and action from leaders at all levels of government, according to Solages’ office.
“We demand a formal apology from the Trump campaign as well as a restatement of the true facts,” Solages said. “We will not tolerate dehumanizing lies about our community.”
Solages became the first Haitian-American elected to the Nassau County Legislature in 2011.
Elected officials and community advocates are scheduled to be among the speakers at the rally. In addition to calling for an apology, the group is urging that President Joe Biden, Harris, and all local, state, and municipal leaders to take all necessary measures to protect Haitians from physical harm in the wake of the hateful rhetoric propagated by Trump and Vance.
They are also calling for Biden and the U.S. Congress to formally recognize anti-Haitian rhetoric and actions as “hate speech, which would grant civil rights protections under existing hate crime legislation and ensure Haitian communities have access to legal remedies when targeted by racially motivated violence, discrimination, or hate speech.”
