Trump inauguration splits SCV opinion

David Kazmer takes a picture during the President Donald Trump inauguration celebration attended by 85 Trump supporters at the event held at Embassy Suites in Valencia on Friday evening. Dan Watson/The Signal
Share on facebook
Share
Share on twitter
Tweet
Share on email
Email

President Donald Trump.

The sound of it makes many people smile, and a good many more wince.

Reaction to the inauguration and the swearing in Friday of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States was as mixed in the Santa Clarita Valley as it’s proven to be across the country.

A dozen Golden Valley High School students and two teachers made the trip to Washington D.C. to watch the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

A dozen other students from Santa Clarita Valley, meanwhile, told The Signal Friday they plan on joining a protest Saturday of the inauguration and of President Trump in downtown Los Angeles.

Some waited all their lives for Friday’s inauguration.

Trump supporters chat at the President Donald Trump inauguration celebration attended by 85 Trump supporters at the event held at Embassy Suites in Valencia on Friday evening. Dan Watson/The Signal

Pepper Parkinson, of the local GOP Women’s Federated Club, held an inauguration party Friday and invited a dozen close friends to help share the event.

“I sat and listened to his speech and it made me cry,” she told The Signal Friday, after a day-long celebration of watching the new president in action on TV.

“I am so happy,” she said. “I haven’t felt this happy in a long time. This was my day to celebrate.”

Not everyone in the Santa Clarita Valley, however, shared Parkinson’s excitement.

SCV resident Patti Sulpizio turned off the TV for a day. She called it a “media boycott.”

“I have a hard time accepting his election,” Sulpizio told The Signal Friday. “What example is this president setting for our children?”

She said she doesn’t approve of the “behavior of this president.”  She’s not the only SCV resident who thinks that way.

About 250 people from the Santa Clarita Valley, according to local activist David Barlavi, who share Sulpizio’s view are expected to attend Saturday’s Women’s March at Pershing Square in Los Angeles.

Marchers, meeting at 9 a.m., are expected to start for Los Angeles City Hall at approximately 10:00 a.m.

Speaking at the rally will be Anthony Rendon, California’s Speaker of the Assembly.

“Trump built his campaign on racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia and I am vehemently against all these things,” Barlavi said.

Others, on the other hand, who watched Trump’s inauguration on TV Friday saw a man who speaks his mind.

Event organizer Gala Caprice Cruz , right, welcomes Trump supporters at the President Donald Trump inauguration celebration attended by 85 Trump supporters at the event held at Embassy Suites in Valencia on Friday evening. Dan Watson/The Signal

“At least with Trump, he’s transparent,” said Steve Griffith, with a Valencia-based aerospace company.

Watching the inauguration, he said, was “kind of like watching Obama with an attitude.”

Griffith said of Trump: “At least you know where he stands.”

“What I really thought was appalling was Democrats avoiding the inauguration and holding big demonstrations,” he said.  “They didn’t do that when (Barack) Obama won.”

For those wanting to express their opposition to Trump, the inauguration and his presidency, but who are unable to make the trek downtown to attend the rally, can attend on here.

A protest called the Unity Protest has been called for Saturday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the intersection of McBean Parkway and Magic Mountain Parkway.

Unity Protest organizers handed out promotional cards that read: “Please help spread the word and join us if you are not going to downtown LA.”

Santa Clarita’s Democratic Alliance for Action is inviting SCV “friends and neighbors” to participate in the Women’s March LA.

A post of the DAA’s website reads: “To march together representing DAA and the SCV, members and friends will meet at 9 am at The Last Bookstore, a couple of blocks from Pershing Square prior to the event.”

[email protected]

661-287-5527

on Twitter @jamesarthurholt

Related To This Story

Latest NEWS