Thispresidentialelectionhadtheworldonitsedge.

Withover80%overpollspredicting
thatHillaryClintonwouldwinthepresidency,manyamericansthoughtthattheelectionwould
gooffwithoutahitchHowever,electionnightprovedadifferentoutcome,DonaldTrumpwon
thepresidencythisyear,usingastrategythatsurprisedthenation.
Thisyearselectionhasbeenthemostpublicized,andthemostscandaloustodate,and
nomattertheresult,Americanswouldhavebecomeevenmoredivided.Ourcountryhasnever
beenaspoliticallypolarizedasitisrightnow.Directlyaftertheelection,Ihadtheopportunityto
traveltoPortland,OR,Olympia,WA,andSeattleWA,andinthesecities,Isawsomeofthe
unrestresultingfromtheelection.
Since2000,ColoradohasbegantoleanDemocratically,butitisconsideredaswing
state,meaningthatthereisanequalorclosetoequalnumberofrepublicansanddemocrats
whovoteTherewasaprotestinDurango,withanattendanceofalmost300people.However,
manyofthesurroundingcitieshavenothadsuchanextremereaction.
WashingtonandOregonareverydifferent,bothstatesareincrediblyliberal,andneither
statehasvotedconservativelysince1984.Thepostelectionculturewasalmostradically
differentfromDurangosinPortlandandSeattle
Portlandisoneofthemostliberalareasinthecountry,peopleorganizeprotestsallthe
time,therehavebeenprotestsagainstanumberofcausessincethe2000s,andthiselection
hascausedsomeofthelargestprotestsinPortlandhistory
IhadtheopportunitytojoinapeacefulmarchagainstDonaldTrumpinPortland,over
3,000peoplemetatcityhall,andtwogroupsbegantoform,apeacefulgroupofpeoplewho
rejectedthepresidentelect,andagroupofanarchists.Iwentwiththegroupofanarchistsat
first,andassoonaswetookthethestreets,peoplestartedbreakingwindows,andspray
paintingonthestreets.Weblockedoneofthebiggestroadsinthedowntownarea,howeverwe
wereimmediatelymetbythepolice,2030copsdressedinfullriotgearappearedandblocked
thefrontofthemarchingcolumn.Whenthishappened,Idecidedtojointheothergroup,asthey
wereonlyacoupleofblocksaway,thePortlandPolicewerealsoattemptingtoblockthe
peacefulgroup,andeverytimetheygotclosetocuttingusoff,theprotesterswouldmarch
towardsotherpartsofthecity.Ilearnedalotaboutprotestculture,andIlearnedalotabout
Portlandthatnight,Portlandisacityofpeoplewhowilldoanythingforchange.
Seattlehashadcontinualprotestssincetheelection,howeverIwasunabletogotoany
marchesinSeattle,asIonlyspentonedaythere.TheprotestsinSeattlehavebeeneven
larger,andmoreviolentthanthoseinPortland,withtheSeattlepolicereleasingnonlethal
weaponsonprotestersalmostdaily.
DonaldTrumpisgoingtohaveanincrediblyabnormalpresidency,andthereisalotof
fear,andhatesurroundingthePresidentElect,manypeopleareafraidofwhataTrump
presidencywilllooklike.Duringhiscampaign,Trumpproposedmassdeportations,and
governmentenforcedmonitoringofpeopleoftheMuslimreligion.HisrunningmateMikePence
hasalsogonedownasoneofthemostantiLGBTgovernorsinhistory.Thoughheisa
successfulbusinessman,manyareafraidthatheisunqualifiedforpresidency.Timewilltell
whatTrumpsAmericawilllooklike,butuntilthen,wecanonlyspeculate.2016hasbeenan
incrediblydividing,andpolarizingyear,buthopefullyAmericanscanlearntoworkthroughtheir
differencestoprovideapositivefutureforthiscountry