By Lauren Lifke
A horde of demonstrators took to the steps of the Roundhouse in Santa Fe on Wednesday, during the third week of the New Mexico legislative session, as part of a national movement to protest against the Trump administration .
Protesters held signs with messages opposing the administration and advocating for reproductive rights, Palestinians, veterans, immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community.
Albuquerque resident Tiffany Mann held up a sign that said, “We the People, of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Mann said she found out about the protest through Youtube instead of through social media. She attended the protest to represent her veteran father, who wasn’t able to be there.
Mann said she and her father disapproved of Donald Trump’s politicization on military grounds after his visit to Arlington National Cemetery in August 2024.
“I’m sure that my father was not the only veteran that was repulsed,” Mann said.
Sara Moreno, a single mother and Mexican American, wore an American flag draped over her shoulders.
“The flag means something,” Moreno said. “It means our freedom.”
She said when she was pregnant, she thought most racism would be gone by the time her daughter is old enough to acknowledge it.
“She’s not even a year old, and we’re going through what almost feels like what the Holocaust started as,” Moreno said.
A few yards away, protesters carried American flags, including Santa Fe resident Chris Scott, who echoed Moreno’s comments.
Scott brought the American flag to reclaim the symbol that is often used by right-wing militias and white supremacist groups, he said.
“The true American flag stands for our Constitution, stands for our right to assembly, stands for our right to have freedom of speech — not for your right to be racist to somebody or to say you’re better than another one,” Scott said.
Scott said it’s important for people to act now, even by doing something as simple as waving an American flag.
“We’re taking our flag back too — just like we’re taking our country back,” Scott said. “It doesn’t belong to them; it belongs to everyone.”