ACLU holds town hall on impact of Trump administration

EAST MOLINE, Ill. — Over 160 gathered in East Moline on Tuesday, Jan. 13 to talk about the protection of rights.

The ACLU of Illinois hosted “Power to the People,” to talk about issues the Quad Cities community has raised about the Trump administration.

“How can we protect the most number of people that we possibly can? What local protections can we put in place? What local actions can we take in order to do that?” Director of Communications and Public Policy for the ACLU of Illinois, Ed Yohnka said.

Many topics were brought up, with many attendees asking how to take action.

“I worry about being a target. I never would have felt that ever exercising my First Amendment rights ever before in my life,” attendee Sara O. said.

The ACLU argues that the only way forward is together.

“This is about people coming together and seeing that they aren’t alone,” Yohnka said.

“People tend to feel helpless in these situations,” event planner for Indivisible QC, Carol Marris said. “Alone we are helpless, but together we are indivisible. Together our voices matter.”

Protests have been popping up across America, with thousands of people participating in demonstrations following the fatal shooting on a woman in Minneapolis by an ICE agent last week.

Those protests even made it to Moline.

“People are struggling with what’s next, and it’s a good opportunity to give them a little insight into what that looks like and what they can do,” Yohnka said.

As the administration continues to make changes, the ACLU says it, along with community groups, will continue to fight for the rights of everyone.