An Open Letter to Donald Trump Supporters: Seek Forgiveness and Healing

Last updated on: March 12, 2016 at 7:35 pm by Andre E. Johnson

An Open Letter to Donald Trump Supporters: Seek Forgiveness and Healing 2016-03-12T19:35:13-05:00 Andre E. Johnson

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As I watched in horror the events that happened in St. Louis and Chicago at Donald Trump rallies, I thought I would offer words of comfort and advice to angry and frustrated Trump supporters. By the way, it must be really nice to have your anger affirmed, appreciated and understood as a natural human emotion, but I digress. Anyway, as I struggled to find the right words, I decided to draw from the many examples that others have given when primarily non-white crowds have demonstrated their anger and frustration.

What happened in St. Louis and Chicago was a disgrace to our political system. The outcome was not one that many in those cities wanted. I know during this election season many have expressed anger and frustration in many ways. I know that passions were high in rallies that led up to the events that happened yesterday, but I urge every supporter of Donald Trump across the country, to remember that we are a nation of laws and the right to protest is part of what it means to be an American.

Our country owns a proud and powerful tradition of expressing ourselves through nonviolent protest. We trust that those frustrated and angry with the outcome especially from the Trump rally in Chicago will make their views known in some peaceful and constructive way. We must reject the need to push, pull, hit, sucker punch, kick, spit on, or elbow people who you may disagree with. We all agree that demonstrations and free speech are valuable contributions to debate, and that violence and disorder are not only wrong – but hurt the critically important goals we are trying to achieve together.

Therefore, I now ask Trump supporters to respect each other’s right of protest and free assembly. Comfort one another and talk with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds. Seek to forgive those who disrupted the rally in Chicago that led Trump officials to cancel. Now it is time for our community to learn from this tragedy and start to heal. We should ask ourselves, as individuals and as a society, how we can prevent future tragedies like this. As citizens, that’s a job for all of us and the way to honor the political process.

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