Hundreds of people gathered at the Tim Cole Memorial Statue Tuesday night for the ‘No Bans, No Walls’ protest.
One woman was arrested. Deema Alhesan, 20, was arrested by Lubbock Police Officers for obstructing a highway. LPD released photos that showed many protestors in the roadways. They dispersed the crowd around 7:45, 15 minutes before it was scheduled to end, because they said the event went from a peaceful protest to an unlawful assembly.
The protest was organized by Cagri Mert Bakirci a Texas Tech student from Turkey, who currently holds a student visa.
“Because it does not matter who I am, it does not matter who you are,” Bakirci yelled into a megaphone while the crowd cheered on. “We are all human beings who care for one another.”
Bakirci spoke atop the Tim Cole Statue for more than 15 minutes in a declaration of why the event was organized.
“We are not in the garden of evil together,” Bakirci said. “We are all in a sinking ship and we must work together to prevent that from happening and that is what we are trying to be a part of tonight.”
Most people made signs, some quoting Lady Liberty while others called for President Trump’s impeachment. Many people chanted ‘no justice, no peace’ and ‘this is what democracy looks like.’
Some people, like 11-year-old Bilal Kharrat, was there with his family.
“Well we are actually Muslim and so we want to support,” Kharrat said. “And we think that equality, everyone should come in the U.S. if they are qualified.”
Others were older, like Pastor Richard Schempp, who came to represent the Protestant church. His sign read: ‘Jesus, Mary and Joseph were all immigrants think about it, what would have happened if Egypt had closed it’s borders.’
Counter protestors also made an appearance, wearing their red ‘Make America Great Again’ hats while waving American flags. They engaged in heated discussions with some protestors and held peaceful discussions with others.
Many cars driving down 19th and University Avenue honked their horns and yelled out their windows. Some were doing so in support and some in protest. Water balloons were thrown into the crowd. There were no reports of any injuries.
