NEWS — Del Rio residents protest Trump, abortion at mid-day rally

By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times

About two dozen Del Rioans gathered along Veterans Boulevard in front of the civic
center Saturday to express their opposition to President Donald Trump’s actions and
policies.

The Del Rio event was one of thousands of “No Kings” rallies held in towns and cities
across the country.

Pedro Hernandez was among the protestors. He spoke about his reasons for attending the
rally as he drew a caricature of Trump on a sign he planned to

display.

“I’m here today to speak out against Donald Trump. Some people say he’s not a king, but
he’s close enough to one. He can silence whoever he wants. He can have them shut
down, taken away, and that’s a lot like a dictator, a lot like a king. You can’t speak out
against him, but that’s infringing on our First Amendment rights,” Hernandez said as he
colored in his Trump drawing with broad strokes of an orange marker.

Hernandez also pointed out that while Trump promised voters a healthier economy and
lower prices, the reality is different.

“It’s really gotten worse. The price of beef has gone up. I remember pre-COVID, 2020,
three pounds of ground beef was maybe $10, $11; now it’s close to $16, $17. Gas has not
been below $2 a gallon. I don’t know where he got that statement from. Eggs, they have
not been below $2 a dozen, and I don’t know where he got that from.

“This guy (Trump), his whole deal is false promises. He promises things, and then his
little fan base, MAGA, they just eat it up. They believe it, but he’s not delivering. On the
ground, the reality is different. He promises the best things ever, but they never come to
fruition,” Hernandez said.

Rally organizer Valerie Rodriguez said she was pleased with the turnout, particularly
since there were a number of other major events going on, like the popular annual Fiesta
De Amistad parade.

“I completely forgot about it (the parade) when I decided to organize the rally this early
in the day. I did it so maybe it wouldn’t be so hot,” Rodriguez said with a laugh.

Rodriguez said she was a little surprised by the number of older participants in the rally.

“We have older people. We have young kids. I’m trying to teach my kids the importance
of standing up for what you believe in, regardless of what it is,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez pointed out a young man at one end of the line of protestors, holding a sign
calling for an end to abortion.

Rodriguez said, “I went up to him, and I shook his hand, because that’s what this is
about. We don’t all necessarily have to agree. My daughter’s over there talking to him,
and they’re having a discussion, they’re having debate, and that is what America is about.

“You know, you see some of the (social media) postings that are going on when I post a
sign, or when I announce a protest, and it drives me insane, because I think, ‘You get to
have your rights, and we get to have our rights,’ and that’s what makes America great,”
she said.

Rodriguez added, “None of this that we’re dealing with makes America great.”
Rodriguez said she will continue organizing protests and rallies as long as Trump is in
office.

The 830 Times next spoke with Rodriguez’s daughter, Victoria Menchaca, and the young
man holding the anti-abortion signs, Raul Torres.

Torres acknowledged his ideology was probably different than that of most of the
protestors attending Saturday’s rally.

Torres said, “I’m an abolitionist. I believe that we should abolish abortion because
abortion is murder, but I’m not here to condemn these people. I’m not here to tell them
they’re wrong. In fact, there are some things I can agree with them on. I believe that
tyranny in the country is bad, and that we should have checks and balances, but I think
the most grave and prevalent evil facing our culture today is that of child sacrifice.

“In 2024, in the entire world, or just the United States, there were 73 million abortions,
which is an insane number to even fathom. That’s a fifth of our country’s population, and
I believe God said, in Leviticus 20, if we as a nation, don’t turn away from child
sacrifice, if we allow it to occur, then our nation will be judged, and look at what’s
happening to our nation today, lots of sexual degeneracy, lots of political discord, lots of
drugs, crimes, suicides, depression, everything shows that we are in the process of being
judged,” Torres said.

Menchaca said she joined her mother at the protest.
“I walked into a conversation with him (Torres), and this is what America is about. We
can have differences of opinion, but we come together and have civil conversations with
one another and try to understand each other. I don’t need to change his opinions, and I
don’t need him to change my opinions. We’re all human beings. We’re full of love and
full of light, and we bring so much to the table if we all collectively work together,”
Menchaca said.

The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com .