Everything’s been a blur lately as the semester has been winding down and I have had to dedicate all of my time to studying and writing up final essays for my rhetoric classes.
During all this, last weekend specifically, the Bears Ears issue came alive in SLC. There was protesting, marches, and a grim succession of photos taken of POTUS Trump smiling after signing presidential proclamations to reduce the original 2 Million Acres of National Monument areas to a mere 250,000 acres (approx.).
How does it feel to have these events taking place in my hometown?
How does it feel to know that the POTUS and U.S. Government is now continuing the long and disgraceful tradition of taking away protections and rights to lands and peoples that rightly deserve them?
It feels like shit.
I did not get to participate in the Protests but yes, yes, yes, do I protest this action.
Makes my skin crawl to know that Trump was only a few minutes away. It was a shameful and disgraceful action for the presidential proclamations to be signed and celebrated with such glee from a POTUS that continues to make America what he thinks it should be…
Here is an article from one of Salt Lake City’s local Newspapers on the event. Photos are included and were taken by Francisco Kjolseth.
Salt Lake Tribune Article on Bears Ears and Trump
I hope this event does not disappear into the previous incidents in 2017 where Trump has successfully made his mark on the U.S. and its peoples in horrendous ways. I want this to go on the ever-increasing list of acts that Trump has committed during his presidency so that we can keep in mind how to combat these actions and policies. They do not reflect, to me, what the people believe in or want for this nation. We must do something to change the future of this nation because so far it is looking grim for everyone who is not considered an intelligible person in Trump’s eyes.
Thank you for reading my writing, I hope you will return in the future!
Again, thank you to all my regular readers and followers that have continued to read my work, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
-Alina