Rutgers students take part in national 'Strike for Democracy' movement
On Friday, students held another strike on the College Avenue campus to protest the actions of President Donald J. Trump.
Students and strikers gathered at Voorhees Mall to protest Trump's conservative policies as part of a nationwide general strike. The larger movement was organized by the advocacy group Strike for Democracy in partnership with the Women’s March on Washington.
The strike lasted from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and was the first step in a campaign to stand up for America’s democratic principles, said Laurent Reyes, an event organizer and graduate student in the Rutgers School of Social Work.
“We are striking, we are not buying anything, which is why we brought food and water … We are not participating in the economy today, and we are asking other people to refrain also,” she said.
The feelings and opinions of the students regarding the strike were mixed, Reyes said. Some people seemed interested in the action, but others were indifferent.
The activists handed out flyers to inform people on ways to contribute to the cause.
“So I think it’s a little bit about (spreading awareness) and also for us we are thinking about what this will mean for the future, so thinking more strategically, outside of the protest,” she said.
Reyes said academic departments should come together to take a stand as one force.
“I think that would be really great if we could form some kind of coalition or some kind of group from all the different departments to kind of think about what each of us can bring to it and how each of us can sort of organize within those sections to fight what is happening," Reyes said.
Stephanie Robert, a Robert Wood Johnson Medical School student, said the strike was the first step for thinking critically about how the Rutgers community can make their voices heard and take a stand against the Trump administration.
The gathering worked as a tool to reflect on the situation and discuss ways to progress and expand the movement, Robert said.
“Protests are fantastic and important and necessary, but they are really one small piece,” she said. “And so what’s been really great is that we have sort of a diverse group here and we are not only flyering and encouraging people to resist in whatever way they are able and willing, but we are also thinking about different ways we can resist.”
Stephen Weiss is a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore majoring in philosophy. He is an associate news editor for The Daily Targum.
