While hundreds of people in Gainesville willing to be involved in protests to state their First Amendment rights and belittle Richard Spencer’s hate speech, others continued their everyday life not to ever add fuel towards fire.
Gainesville native Allen Stark, who resides in East Gainesville, said he didn’t think the Thursday speech event was a huge problem.
“The university can’t deny [Spencer] while he would sue, but I think it’s ignorance,” Stark said. “The National Guard will not be here; I really don’t think it’s that serious.”
Others, like substitute teacher Daniel Blumberg, think the University of Florida shouldn’t have allowed Spencer to communicate.
“He ought to have not received a forum make use of our freedom of expression that will put out his hate speech,” Blumberg said.
Blumberg stated that however the university has many precautions, it truly is spending lots of taxpayers’ money.
“The university is spending about $500,000 of the money, and my math, that’s about $5 per man, woman and child in Gainesville investing in him into the future speak,” Blumberg said. “If the university was fearing a court threat, utilised together have ignored to court and enable the courts prove that [Spencer] is not really somebody that insights terror and hatred.”
While the afternoon was stuffing with protests all over the city, one group made a decision to host a love-in in Depot Park, positioned on SE Depot Avenue and South Main Street.
A love-in is really an event, organized to state dedication to adore and peace. Individuals were able to share ideas, paint signs, draw with chalk and sing love songs.
“Shirley [Lasseter] and i also looked into performing a love-in,” said Pam Smith, who’s going to be participating in protests since the 1960’s, when she protested in La whilst the Vietnam War.
“I was a student in my 20s can be earning ! putting flowers while in the guns of policemen,” Smith said.
According to Smith, she and her friends want to have a very safe space where individuals could come this will let you loving place away from the chaos around Phillip’s Center.
“These protests are different from the protests from the ’60s because earlier there we were fighting for peace,” said Smith. “Today appears like we’ve been fighting for our own democracy.”
While the love-in and various peaceful protests continued every day, UF students still wanted to attend classes.
Nineteen-year-old Tiffanny de Zayas, a religion and pre-physical therapy major, asserted she had been in campus throughout the day.
“It’s been eerie because there’s no person on campus today,” de Zayas said.
Even though de Zayas said she would are thinking about involved in the protests, she didn’t would like to get distracted by anything.
“God knows what might well have happened,” de Zayas said.
The 19-year-old sophomore said she felt safe on campus, since many of her classes were off the Phillip’s Center.
“I wasn’t mindful that there have been usually [state troops] beyond campus,” de Zayas said. “But I think it’s cool that they are protecting people around the area.”
