I heard the roar from several blocks away while I followed a small group of protestors through North Dallas. Trump, scheduled to speak at Gateway Church, had landed at Love Field. We passed hundreds of parked cars lining the neighborhood streets as we walked toward the eye of the storm. One man standing by the gate to his property taped up signs saying “Immigrants Make America Great.” Across the street, a group of people holding Trump 2020 signs decided which way to go to reach the gathering.
Conflicting emotions, beliefs, and instructions pulsed through the air. Various groups traveled down roads only to be turned around by the police. Trump supporters gathered in their yards while protestors walked a few feet away. Throughout this neighborhood labyrinth, one thing remained consistent: the sound of nearby shouting.
Finally, after reaching dead ends and passing down an alley, the group reached the corner of Churchill Way and Hillcrest Road. The Churchill Recreation Center provided the backdrop to the scene as about 300 protestors and 100 Trump supporters gathered on the slope between the building and Hillcrest Road. They stood against barricades, separated by a 50-yard open space containing police and reporters. News helicopters circled above. A whistle, emanating from one of the protestors, pierced the shouts. “Defund the Police” signs faced off against “Women for Trump” signs. Both groups shouted across the grassy aisle at one another.
One woman held a mirror, upon which she had painted the words “See the Problem Now?” She voiced her concerns to me, saying that this is stress relief for her. “We want Trump out yesterday,” she said. “The chaos is palpable.” Next to her, an older woman held a large cardboard sign that read “Black Lives Matter, Trump’s Lies Matter, Save America.” At the top, three American flags fluttered in the wind. A few feet away, a man carried a large upside-down flag. One woman, megaphone in hand, addressed the protest crowd. “The DA, the courts, Judge Clay Jenkins, the city government, the mayor! Those are the people — vote them out!”
The crowd grew. Mounted officers trotted up Churchill Way. More Trump supporters congregated near the intersection, wearing red “Trump 45” jerseys. Two protestors sat beneath the recreation center’s marquee, which advertised yoga, badminton, and fitness programs. Dressed all in black, the two adjusted their gas masks and finished buckling their jet-black helmets to their heads.
Then the motorcade arrived. The police moved forward, pushing the protestors off the street and into the grass. Police motorcycles passed, and then Trump whipped by, staring out the window of his vehicle. In one group, middle fingers flew into the air; in the other, banners lifted instead. “Donald Trump is tyrannical! He is not representing his people!” I heard a man shout a few feet away.
Without warning, the atmosphere shifted. A woman ran by, pointing out the police assembling on Churchill Way. Over 10 squad cars had lined up, officers stepping out and opening their trunks. They wore armored vests and were in the process of strapping helmets with face shields to their heads. Fear rippled through the crowd. “Watch your backs!” someone shouted. The Dallas Police Fugitive Unit assembled on one of the corners, holding various weapons. Some carried paint guns; others held sponge bullet shooters. An officer walked by, carrying a bundle of zip-tie handcuffs. A gas mask rested on another officer’s hip. “We need more cops here,” one supporter said as she passed on the sidewalk.
Fortunately, no violence occurred at the protest. The tension eased soon after the officers assembled in the intersection, when it became clear they weren’t trying to disperse the crowd. No tear gas was fired. Chanting continued while Trump supporters walked near the crowd. One Trump supporter stated she had no issue with the protestors, as long as they remained peaceful. “Lots of people fought for that right,” she said. As for President Trump’s presence in Dallas, she stated that she was proud to have him here. “We need a lot of opinions to come together.”
Inside Gateway Church, Trump spoke at the roundtable discussion. “We’re not defunding police. If anything, we’re going the other route,” he said. Only a block away, shouts to defund the police rang out. “We don’t see no riot here, why are you in riot gear?” the crowd chanted. Volunteer medical personnel stood nearby with food and drinks, ready to help anyone who needed assistance. Eventually, both protest and support groups began to shrink. Trump’s conference finished, and the motorcade passed by once more.
As I left the gathering, I tried to remember the way back through the winding streets. Turning a corner, I saw a house that prominently displayed Biden 2020 signs. Only a few blocks away, another house featured signs warning that trespassers would be shot.
