Election year is among us, this November we will be getting a new president, however it’s not all fun and games on the campaign trail. As we get closer to the big reveal the protests start getting more intense. Everyone wants a new president and some will stop at nothing to ensure that person will be elected.

There have been many protests against the candidates, one particular target is Donald Trump. There are many people (in particular students) who do not like Trump. One of the big protests occurred at the University of Illinois in Chicago which Trump had canceled his appearance due to safety concerns.

Trumps absence however did not stop the protesters from coming into the building and attacking the supporters. While I am in favor of the right to protest, I do believe that there is no need to get violent. Whenever these kinds of things get violent, cities get placed on lock down. and it will often turn people off because of all the violence that happens at these rallies. UIC was just one of many places in which Trump was protested.

“Students protest because they feel it’s important to group up and fight for what is right,” said UIC student Christine Tran.

There is some talk on whether these protests help or hurt the candidates, it can go either way depending on how big the protest was. There are also the people that are outspoken and arent afraid to get on the stage and shout out how they really feel. The protests definitely catch the attention of the media but its up to them what kind of story they want to tell about the protests.

“They get him more media attention, but many people may be turned off by the violence incited at his rallies,” said UIC student Molly Schoenherr

The protests started when Trump made comments about closing the borders, causing a lot of controversy and quite a few people threatening to leave the country if elected president. A large chunk of UICs student population is diverse so many students thought of Trumps comments as racist. Which then triggered the students to protest.

“His words encourage violence against marginalized communities and many people at UIC find this unacceptable,” said Schoenherr.

I usually don’t get into the political game that much, however I do like doing my civic duty. I think while students should speak their minds, they shouldn’t get so violent that people end up getting hurt.

At the same time the protests can also help the candidate as well, I mean somehow Trump managed to win Illinois in the primaries. In the end it all depends how the protest was organized. It can go either way

“Some people may have a bad impression of the protesters and may not want to identify with them or activists may have influenced others to share the same values.”said Tran.

While the elections are not until November there is already a lot of hype about it both good and bad. Don’t be afraid to vote for who you want to, in the end it is the decision of that person but sometimes all it takes is one voice to change everything.