Hundreds at the Arizona state Capitol took part in a nationwide movement to march against changes made by the Trump administration.
For more than a week, similar demonstrations have stayed peaceful as people have gathered throughout the Valley to protest anti-immigrant action and Project 2025. But a few have sparked concerns over lit fireworks, drag racing, and smashed police car windshields. Local advocates are urging them to stay peaceful, and stay organized.
Aliento founder and CEO Reyna Montoya is one of several local advocates calling for more people to be mindful of how they take action.
It’s important, she said, “when we’re showing up to these protests or these demonstrations, that we think about, maybe, our grandma. Or think about, if we have children, we think about our little children. And is the way that we’re showing up something that they would feel proud of?”
As a fellow DACA recipient, she expressed understanding of a lot of the anger and frustration that her fellow community members are feeling.
“But my plea to them,” Montoya said, “is still really to transform that anger into something that is going to bring the world, the Arizona, the America that we really want and that our young people desperately need, which is a message of love, peace and solidarity.”
But she says it’s important to remember that while many show up to gatherings with good intent: “The actions of very few people, that those are the ones that may cause disruption and violence that is hurting the primary objective of what we’re trying to get across.”
Montoya added that she’s proud of the young people who are listening to advocates like her, seeing them carry the message of solidarity forward without putting others in harm’s way.
