On Tuesday, November 8th, Donald Trump became the President Elect, shocking many Democrats who were confident that their nominee Hillary Clinton was the next President of the United States. Clinton was considered the champion of minorities, the level-headed, experienced opposite of Donald Trump, who came off as crass and belligerent to members of the Democratic party. Hillary Clinton’s many scandals, such as her infamous private emails, were unideal in a presidential candidate, but in comparison to Donald Trump’s campaign platform, she seemed like the lesser of two evils to many voters.

After the election results, Clinton supporters felt confused, scared, and betrayed by their fellow voters. Researchers predicted a narrow win on Hillary’s part and Trump’s anti-minority rhetoric, spotty personal life, refusal to acknowledge climate change, and history of sexual assault allegations made many Americans feel sure of liberal win. Democrats felt that his temperament was too unstable and his speeches too politically incorrect to inspire respect from the majority of American people. Unfortunately, they were wrong.

Democrats are scared that America may have elected a sexual predator/tax evader into their highest office. They are afraid that he will build a wall on our Southern border because that will put strain on an economy already buckling under the weight of a 19.5 trillion dollar national debt. They are afraid he will succeed in defunding Planned Parenthood, cutting off resources that millions of men and women depend on, such as birth control, sexual education, and abortion services. They are afraid he will remove the limitations Barack Obama put on companies to protect the environment, thus further destroying the earth and our natural resources through contracting and developing projects, such as the Keystone Pipeline. They are afraid he will destroy the Affordable Care Act, a program that thousands of impoverished people depend upon to take care of themselves and their families. It does not sit well with Democrats that Trump is the only president in U.S. history who has been endorsed by the Nazi Party, a white supremacist group that still exists in America today. Liberals worry that Trump’s presidency symbolizes the normalization of homophobia, islamophobia, rape culture, sexism, and racism. They believe that the election results imply that the majority of Americans consider having a businessman who will address the issue of illegal immigration to be more important than electing a president who is actually a decent human being and considers the concerns of all Americans.

These fears are not baseless, as the celebrating Republicans would have you believe. Donald Trump’s 60 Minutes interview and the release of his 100 Days plan have confirmed the worst nightmares of some Americans. Trump’s campaign promises are not merely a rhetorical strategy, but a reality with environmental and social consequences that Americans will soon have to face.

Since last Tuesday, there has been an increase in hateful speech and even in hate crimes, possibly as a result of Donald Trump’s election. Mostly, it has just been children harassing their non-white classmates with racial and homophobic slurs, threats of deportation, and insults towards their religions. However, more serious offenses have happened as well. Trump supporters have sent death threats to Jewish reporters and multiple Muslim women have been threatened and had their hijabs torn off. It seems as though many people believe that Trump’s election justifies their racist and xenophobic attitudes, which explains the increase hate crimes, especially against Islamic people.

Because of their fear for the future of America, Democrats have begun protesting all around the country. There have been almost 50 protests in the last week, with people who are upset by the election results gathering to express their unhappiness and assure minority communities that they are valued and their rights will be fought for. People attending these protests have taken up familiar chants such as, “Black Lives Matter” and “My Body, My Choice” and new chants such “Not my president” and “We reject the president elect”. The protests have taken place in Seattle, New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, and Portland, as well as in smaller cities.

Other than an anarchist protest in Portland, the protests have been peaceful, with people of all races, creeds, and social classes coming together. Democrats know that a couple protests won’t make Hillary Clinton replace Donald Trump as the 45th American President. But they still come together to remind America that even though their president may not share their values or respect them, the American people will use their rights to free speech, freedom of the press, and the freedom to assemble to work towards inclusion and acceptance in order to respect the dignity of all people.