BOZEMAN — While most at Montana State University Bozeman's Field House were supporters of Donald Trump on Aug. 9, 2024, there was a group of around 30 protesters who showed up in opposition to the event.
The protesters began at Duck Pond before marching to Cooper Park, about 1½ miles from the Brick Breeden Field House, where Trump was scheduled to speak Friday night.
For the couple of hours the protesters were together, a clear community was made.
For the most part, interactions between Trump supporters and the protesters remained relatively peaceful.
"Most of the people have been pretty nice. A couple of them have come up and talked to us in a very peaceful fashion, and were wondering why we were opposed to Trump," said Kirk Astroth, one of the protesters.
There was one interaction at Cooper Park where three Trump supporters were yelling at the protesters during one of their speeches. But most interactions were harmless banter.
Protester Jay Henderson was reading a speech when the interaction occurred.
"I wasn't scared. I felt really supported by the community that showed out today. The structure that we had for safety, um, we had a full team of safety marshals, making sure that everything's alright, and they did their job quite well," they said.
The organizers of the protests brought signs and encouraged protesters to bring their own as well. Some of the signs went beyond the Trump-Harris race to topics like women's rights and the war in Gaza.
MTN News asked the lead organizer, Sophia Fortnado what her ultimate goal was for this protest.
"But really, the goal of what we're trying to bring people around is an understanding that the systems of oppression that exist in our society are interlocking, and they affect us all in different ways, based on our identities and social positions," she said.
Around a dozen safety marshals were at the event wearing neon vests in case violence did occur. The marshals received 90 minutes of training before the event, specifically to de-escalate interactions to prevent violent outbursts.
The protesters were around Cooper Park for about an hour, and overall spirits remained high.
