It was on Presidents’ Day, during a national day of protest, that Edafe Okporo, a candidate for City Council in District 7, seized the moment to declare his commitment to countering the influence of President Donald Trump’s policies in New York City.
Under a gray winter sky, the crowd gathered at Union Square on E. 14th St., joining other demonstrations nationwide as they opposed a political narrative rooted in exclusion and division.
“I’m running for City Council because New York needs leaders who will do more than just talk about immigrant rights — we need leaders who will fight for them,” Okporo said. “This event is why I’m in this race: to make sure no one seeking safety is met with fear, no one struggling to survive is met with punishment, and no New Yorker is treated as disposable. District 7 — and all of New York — deserve real leadership that puts people first.”
The protest was fueled by growing discontent over the Trump administration, now being channeled through Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Critics also took aim at Mayor Eric Adams’ allyship with Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, which prompted four of his deputies to sign a joint letter of resignation in correlation to the Department of Justice dropping his corruption charges.
“Adams is following the Trump playbook — spreading fear and punishing those who need protection. We need bold policies that do the opposite. That means fully funding legal services for asylum seekers, ending the 30/60-day shelter limits, expanding municipal IDs to ensure undocumented people can access city services, and halting ICE collaboration in all city agencies,” Okporo said.
Many believe there was a quid pro quo arrangement between Adams and the Trump administration, where influence over New York City was exchanged.
Organized by a coalition of advocacy groups – Moveon, Indivisible, Five Calls – proclaiming anti-fascism LGBTQ plus inclusion and support for immigrant rights and unified diversity, the opportunity to speak for Okporo was timely.
In the chilling winds, from Union Square to Flatiron down to Washington Square Park, the crowd shut down Broadway and Fifth Avenue , rallying peacefully for more than three hours.
Amidst the sea of sophomoric signs and chants, Okporo’s professional yet relatable presence noticeably got one the loudest reactions that day.
“Trump’s hateful rhetoric and anti-immigrant policies never really left — we see them echoed in City Hall today. This rally isn’t just about resisting a man; it’s about resisting the normalization of cruelty. LGBTQ+ immigrants like me came here seeking safety, and instead, we are met with exclusion and hostility. Standing here today is about saying: “We refuse to go backward,” Okporo told the Amsterdam News.
An asylum seeker who arrived in the United States fleeing prosecution, Okporo’s story of being refuted as a gay immigrant and having to cast defiance resonated with hundreds that gathered that day.
And while he reminded people of when the election starts, he mentioned that the resistance is a daily routine so long as Trump, Musk, and Adams are in opposition to migrant- and LGBTQ-focused policies, like the insurance of the city being a sanctuary city or the erasure of gender identities.
“Resistance happens in our neighborhoods, in our workplaces, in our city’s policies. We resist Trump’s agenda by ensuring New York lives up to its promise as a sanctuary city — not just in name, but in practice. That means expanding immigrant protections, stopping Adams from criminalizing asylum seekers, and holding local officials accountable. Resistance isn’t a one-day event — it’s a daily commitment,” Okporo said.
Many that day expressed their vulnerabilities, but through Okporo’s speech, the crowd’s spirited energy echoed through that historic square.
Accompanying the city council candidate was Jay W. Walker, an activist and organizer involved in various resistance groups. He is a co-founder of the Reclaimed Pride Coalition, Stop the Coup, the Queer Liberation March, Rise and Resist, and serves as the President of Gays Against Guns. Walker draws from his experiences as a gay man in his activism.
Walker told Amsterdam News that he opposes Musk’s technocratic relationship with Trump, adding that it threatens to undo the progress that gay activists have fought for.
“We are here to say that the American people will not stand for Donald Trump turning our federal government over to Elon Musk and his tech pros to essentially destroy about 100 years, 150 years of progress that has taken place in our federal government. It’s disgusting, it’s un-American, it’s unpatriotic, it’s fascist, it’s Christian nationalist, and it must be stopped,” Walker said.
People from all walks of life protested against Trump, Musk, and Adams, with prominent poet and poetry slam artist Bob Holman lending his voice to the movement. Holman is a champion of spoken word as an art form, engaging dynamically with audiences through WNYC and PBS for decades. He also mentors a new generation of artists to help preserve the arts at the Bowery Poetry Club.
However, on Feb. 17, during his performance at Union Square Park near the equestrian statue of George Washington, Holman’s spoken words were more vulgar than usual.
“Well, you know, for me, I’m an artist, so it comes from… It comes out of the art. Art is… Is the freedom I have. Freedom to be a poet. You know, I have a freedom to… To speak. But now if that’s going… That’s going away. I’m not going to let that happen. It’s happened to my friends in Ukraine, and it happened to my friends in Russia. You know, we’re not going to let that happen. It’s happened in China, it happened in the United States,” Holman said.
Okporo’s rallying cry comes from leadership that stems from lived experiences, such as the struggles for justice, equality, and inclusion. His final message to the crowd was that it is time to act now.
“Protests make noise, but policy makes change. If elected, I will fight to expand legal protections for immigrants, secure housing and work permits for asylum seekers, and block Adams’ attempts to push immigrants deeper into precarity. The passion we feel today must be carried into legislation, into community organizing, and into the voting booth. We can’t just be loud — we have to be effective.”