A day before President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Utah to announce that he is dramatically reducing the size of at least two national monuments, protestors spelled out “Go Home Trump” on the lawn of the State Capitol, The Salt Lake Tribune reported on Sunday.
The demonstration was organized by artist Cat Palmer and included 113 protestors, all wearing white jumpsuits, who laid down on the lawn to send out their message.
Palmer said she put together the rally after encouragement from Utah State Sen. Jim Dabakis, telling the Tribune that “We don’t have somebody representing our voices right now, right? That’s a problem. Sometimes when we feel helpless we make art hoping our voices will be heard. It’s an outlet for people. It’s therapeutic... because we are feeling lost right now.”
Palmer’s protest came a day after an estimated 5,000 people demonstrated outside Utah's Capitol against Trump’s intention to cut the size of both Bears Ears, which was declared a monument by President Barack Obama just last year, and Grande Staircase-Escalante, which was designated one in 1996 by President Bill Clinton. Fox News reported.
Trump plans to reduce the size of Bears Ears National Monument by nearly 85 percent and shrink Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by almost half.
The plan faces strong opposition from both environmentalists and Native American tribal leaders.