Hundreds Protest In Livermore Against Trump Education Policies

LIVERMORE, CA — Nearly 300 people gathered at Livermorium Plaza Tuesday to protest recent Trump administration education policies, which include abolishing the Department of Education and erasing protections for LGBTQ and immigrant students.

The Speak Up for Students and Public Education Rally was co-organized by Livermore Advocates for Public Education and Livermore Indivisible, a local organization supporting progressive causes. At the nearly two-hour rally, local educators, students, and leaders spoke about the importance of ensuring that everyone has access to free, high-quality education. Speakers included LVJUSD Board of Education Trustees Christiaan VandenHeuvel and PUSD Trustee Charlie Jones.

Livermore City Councilmember and former LVJUSD Board of Education Trustee Kristie Wang spoke at the rally, noting that without free ESL services, nutritious food, and a Pell grant, she wouldn’t be where she is today. “Funding these programs is an investment in the future of all of our students and in the future of our country,” Wang said.

“Education is a fundamental right, and we must take action to protect it,” said Joanne Morrison, a representative from Livermore Advocates for Public Education. “We are gathered to demand that the U.S. Department of Education be preserved and that no federal policies be instituted that harm students—especially LGBTQIA+ students and those whose family members may be undocumented immigrants.”

See here to view the other speakers.

On March 1, at least 500 people gathered in Dublin to protest rumored plans to convert the shuttered FCI Dublin prison into an ICE detention facility.