Something good from the Trump Years.....

[gimmethesimplelife]

It has taken me quite some time to stand up and deal after the elections. To say that I am scared is very much an underststement. I've done what I could and have two bags packed, access to some running money, and quick access to my passport. I advise others to do the same but this is other people's homework, to see the necessity to do so. I've taken the 85006 pledge to do at least one small legal thing every day to make Trump's time in office more difficult. We are having email and phone drives in the 85006 to kick this off and it's so wonderful to see the 85006 unified against Trump and all he claims to today stand for. But it's dawning on me......the next four years are going to be like the 60's, with constant terror or the government, constant protests, the world at long last truly seeing what America is about (smartphone record everything the next four years, we all share a duty to human rights to expose America to the world at every juicy opportunity during the Trump presidency). There will likely be scattered opportunities for political asylum elsewhere once the human rights abuses multiply and become worse. Smart people will grab them as it is a legal way out for good....no more terror of America and it's future direction necessary. I see some people cashing in on the Trump Years by using them to never set foot here again, and I see many people constantly protesting in a bid to try to preserve basic human rights and basic human dignity against Mr. Trump. I guess let's just get the blankshow started then. At least I will be able to say I experienced something like the 60's......and maybe I'll be one of the lucky ones who is able to use Trump for purposes of political asylum. Remains to be seen. Intetesting times though, no? Rob

[Zoe Girl]

There is a push in my community to make sure that transgender citizens get all their papers in order, legal name changes, birth certificates, passports up to date. We have had at least one transgender hate crime in Denver, I am sure more. I truly don't know what will happen, so I hesitate to say it will all be okay in the end since I am not in too much danger.

[Alan]

What sort of human rights abuses do you predict?

[CathyA]

I like to think there are still enough reasonable/ethical/kind people in the U.S. that will stand up to Trump's choices. Then again.........I was sure before the election that the high number of those reasonable/ethical/kind people would show up to vote and there would be no way Trump could win. Bummer. I don't plan on leaving. yet. We'll see what the future brings.

[iris lilies]

...have two bags packed, access to some running money, and quick access to will grab them as it is a legal way out for good....no more terror of America ...

Still interested to know where and when you are going. Sorry, but making the threat to leave the USA as often as you have done over the years doesnt contribute to your credibility.

Since you have bags packed and cash ready (the easy part) where will you be heading for the rest of your life, how will access those countries long term, how will you support yourself, and what about your mother who youve said keeps you here?

What are the legal things you are doing to make Trump's reign difficult? Besides protesting, I mean, or making phone calls to organize protests? I do not mean those are minor things, I just want to know if there are more imaginative ideas.

[Zoe Girl]

What sort of human rights abuses do you predict?

Right now and starting the day after the election I was getting many reports on my news feeds, girls as young as 10 being grabbed by the crotch, black children physically attacked, brown children (not all hispanic) being told they would be deported, drinking fountains with labels of white and colored in public schools. I know of one attack on a trans-woman in Denver and many of our schools are on high alert but I don't know how many incidents we have had in Denver. They are starting to track this more in general, many schools are stepping up and making statements, suspending and expelling students who are doing these things. I would love that it was not happening and it was as simple as my interests didn't win, that is not holding true

[sweetana3]

Zoe, heard from a teacher that they can keep the children safe in school but there are incidents outside of school. Bullying is increasing. I think the kids are modeling their parents.

And yes, I think America is walking backwards to a very bad period in our history. Some have truly forgotten or never learned about our fairly recent history.

All I can say is stand up for the oppressed. If you see it happening, stand up and get involved.

[Zoe Girl]

The classroom teachers are working hard, but we have never had this to deal with before so there is no playbook. I teach mindfulness in 2 classrooms. The 2nd grade classroom had a couple kids come in excited about Trump, and then other kids reacted. The class is already very challenging. The lesson I did with them, and that was even more effective in the 5th grade room, was to talk about stress briefly. Have them give me a sign of their stress level with their thumb. Thumb straight up was stressed every day, to the side was 2 times a week and down was not stressed at all. Then I had them look around at their classmates stress levels. We did 3 minutes of mindfulness sitting and then talked about how we can help our crew (that is what they call their classrooms) when we see someone who had a thumb all the way up. We also talked about who they could go to in our building, teachers, counselors, etc. if their stress was way too high to manage. I cannot ignore what is happening and do a lesson that does not relate to them right now, in fact at the end of the 5th grade lesson I cried. I saw the whole room soften and relate to me and each other. I wasn't the only one with tears.

[iris lilies]

The classroom teachers are working hard, but we have never had this to deal with before so there is no playbook. I teach mindfulness in 2 classrooms. The 2nd grade classroom had a couple kids come in excited about Trump, and then other kids reacted. The class is already very challenging. The lesson I did with them, and that was even more effective in the 5th grade room, was to talk about stress briefly. Have them give me a sign of their stress level with their thumb. Thumb straight up was stressed every day, to the side was 2 times a week and down was not stressed at all. Then I had them look around at their classmates stress levels. We did 3 minutes of mindfulness sitting and then talked about how we can help our crew (that is what they call their classrooms) when we see someone who had a thumb all the way up. We also talked about who they could go to in our building, teachers, counselors, etc. if their stress was way too high to manage. I cannot ignore what is happening and do a lesson that does not relate to them right now, in fact at the end of the 5th grade lesson I cried. I saw the whole room soften and relate to me and each other. I wasn't the only one with tears.

how did you relate to the two kids who were "excited about Trump?" Were they allowed to express happiness throughout the session?

What does "stress way too high to manage?" mean, exactly? If it cant be "managed" what is the next step?

[bae]

At least I will be able to say I experienced something like the 60's.....

I think they used paragraphs back in the 60's. So that's something.