Trump’s stop in Colorado Springs on Friday will draw fans and foes
More than 100 professors and staff members at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs signed a letter opposing the appearance of Donald Trump on campus Friday.
Trump is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. Friday at Gallogly Events Center. Tickets are available to the public online at donaldjtrump.com/schedule. The venue, at 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, holds 1,500.
A protest is planned at the event.
“While we recognize Mr. Trump’s right to speak at UCCS and at other public venues, we strongly condemn the content and tone of much of the rhetoric that Mr. Trump has used since announcing his bid for president,” said the letter addressed to UCCS Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak and signed by 114 individuals including professors Jeffrey Scholes and Jeff Montez de Oca.
Others Pikes Peak-area residents called The Gazette to express their support of Trump’s visit.
A longtime Democrat from Woodland Park called to say he was voting for a Republican for the first time since he voted for John F. Kennedy.
Mary Lou Risinger, a 77-year-old, said she is voting for Trump.
“I do believe that Trump will surround himself with the best people in this country and I do think our country is very much at risk for what we are facing in the world,” Risinger said.
She has reservations about Trump’s “rough style,” she said, but added: “I just wanted him to act presidential and be classy. But look at his family, his family is utterly amazing, the way his children speak, the way they look.”
Risinger is retired and said she has been a Republican since she was a girl.
Crystal Cravens, a 30-year-old Army veteran, is organizing a rally at UCCS.
“He speaks to old prejudices and misinformed bigotry,” Cravens said. “Donald Trump’s message is very problematic, because what he’s attempting to do is move folks to follow him through fear.”
The protest event is called “Love Trumps Hate” after a common slogan from the Democratic National Convention this week.
She said it’s not a protest of Trump or his supporters.
“We will be standing together as a diverse group of individuals that believe in the power of unity in diversity and love,” Cravens said.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, Thursday, July 28, 2016, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, Thursday, July 28, 2016, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, Thursday, July 28, 2016, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)