������Ƶ

In a protest that began in a Waikiki park and ended at a hotel that bears his name, hundreds of people rallied in opposition to President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday.

The group gathered at Kapiolani Park and marched to Trump International Hotel Waikiki, picking up new recruits — including tourists — along the way. By one organizer’s count, there were more than 1,000 marchers.

People on the street stopped to videotape and snap photos of marchers. Tourists sat on their hotel balconies to watch the action, while Waikiki workers gathered at their storefronts. Cars and taxis honked at marchers, their drivers shouting (mostly) words of encouragement.

As they walked through Waikiki, marchers chanted “love trumps hate,” “this is what democracy looks like,” “build bridges, not walls” and “the people united will never be defeated.”

The protest was organized by University of Hawaii Manoa students and Young Progressives Demanding Action. Most of the participants were young adults.

At the park, a table with sign-making supplies and pre-made signs was set up. Protesters made placards that read “Stolen Election,” “Trump does not speak for me” and “The only minority destroying USA is the 1%.”

Event organizers and featured speakers gave brief speeches.

State Rep. Chris Lee urged protesters to continue the civil rights movement that began decades ago, noting that protecting the rights of all races and sexual orientations was a “generational” responsibility.

“Angry means motivation. It’s OK to be motivated, but it only goes so far,” Lee said. “You can tear something down with anger, you can tear it down all the way to the ground, but you cannot build with it.”

He added that the legislative session reconvenes in a few weeks and lawmakers who have “scored major victories” for climate, energy and health care will be able to vote on more key issues.

Andrea Brower of the Hawaii Alliance for Progressive Action got emotional as she spoke to the growing crowd of protesters.

“This is a time for the rising of true alternatives, it’s a time to decolonize our places and our imaginations,” Brower said. “A world beyond structural racism, a world beyond capitalism and imperialism is not the fantasy of idealist millennials.”

Kauai County Councilman Gary Hooser, who lost his own race for re-election Tuesday, said new appointments to the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration could undo progress that’s been made in Hawaii in fighting GMO seed companies and pesticide use.

“There is a sad reality. … President Trump can change this with the stroke of a pen,” Hooser said.

Democratic activist and former Bernie Sanders supporter Bart Dame said “the time is right for rebellion” against Trump and instead of “mourning, we will be organizing.”

“I don’t want to spread any disunity, but if Bernie had been the candidate, we wouldn’t be forced to be here in the park,” Dame said to applause. “In any event, whether you guys voted for Jill Stein, or whether you voted for Hillary Clinton, or you left that spot blank, we have got to get together and oppose Trump’s agenda moving forward.”

Event organizers repeatedly emphasized the need to protest with peace and aloha, and to avoid obstructing pedestrian traffic. Before leaving the park, organizers worked to get the crowd in a line only two people wide.

Some people on the street stopped to yell their support for Trump at protesters. One man on the opposite side of the street even stepped into traffic to yell that marchers needed to keep a sense of community.

But for the most part, protesters didn’t engage with Trump supporters.

After marching through Waikiki, protesters stopped in a grassy area facing the Trump International Hotel to listen to more speakers.

Corey Rosenlee, president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, said he was proud of the protesters and assured them that, as “one of the most progressive states” in America, Hawaii can make a difference.

If Trump goes after immigrants, Muslims or women’s rights, Rosenlee said, “we will go to the streets, but we cannot just be against Trump. … We must be for something different. We must be for a change.”

He said Trump’s rhetoric about Mexicans and immigrants pitted Americans against each other.

Many speakers lauded Hawaii’s relatively strict gun control rules.

As speeches continued, Region 1 Oahu Democratic Party Chair Donald Koepler told Civil Beat that he had “never been more ashamed” of America.

Marsha Rose Joyner, a longtime civil rights activist, said as a four-time presidential elector for Hawaii, she was upset to see so many people calling for the repeal of the Electoral College, but it was obvious that the country’s politics need a change.

After two hours, protesters began to disperse at dark. Others stayed behind to hold signs facing street traffic.

Many will be back on the UH Manoa campus Monday morning.

Political science major Allison Cooke said she believed Trump stood for racism, sexism and xenophobia. As the granddaughter of an immigrant, Cooke said it was important to take Trump’s comments about Muslims and women seriously.

A Sanders-turned-Clinton supporter, Cooke said she was proud of Hawaii for voting Democratic in all counties.

“We just have to stand as an example,” she said.

Gregory Gushiken, a political science and English major, said that as a gay man whose mother is Native Hawaiian, he believes Trump is dangerous for minorities and native peoples. He said his grandparents are Japanese nationals and worry that the family will be split.

English student Kelly Orr said she was worried about Trump’s stances on education and foreign issues, while computer science student Wataru Takahashi said he didn’t believe Trump had enough experience for the job.

Here are two videos from the event: