A longtime community activist who helped organize Saturday’s pro-democracy Peace Train in New Braunfels said he thinks the country is at a turning point, as some people who voted for President Donald Trump now say he’s gone too far with mass deportations of immigrants, proposed cuts to Medicaid and Social Security, and other policy choices reshaping the political landscape.
New Braunfels resident Hunter Bledsoe with Indivisible Hill Country, a grassroots group focused on promoting progressive values and civic engagement, said people who showed up for the Peace Train and at No Kings Day of Defiance protests in San Antonio and Austin want their voices to be heard.
“They are not happy with the direction that the country is going…they’re starting to realize that the promises that were made are not what’s happening.”
The 60-vehicle Peace Train, co-sponsored by the Unitarian Universalists of New Braunfels, wound its way through downtown New Braunfels before larger “No Kings” protests began later in the day in San Antonio and Austin.
Unlike nationwide “No Kings” protests focused on rejecting authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of the country’s democracy, the Peace Train rally celebrated “hope, love and shared longing for peace.”
“We wanted to show a different side of what seems to be going on in the world right now, show that we can stand up for the Constitution and democracy,” Bledsoe said. “But we could do it without being hateful because there’s way too much hate in the world right now.”
Participants said the only negativity they encountered came from a couple riding bicycles in front of The Landmark apartments, who gave participants a thumbs down as they headed towards Landa Park.
The Peace Train also honored another local peacemaker, Gilbert ‘Chili’ Lopez Ornelas, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel who dedicated his life to humanitarian efforts and received recognition and numerous civil and humanitarian awards for his work with asylum seekers.
Ornelas, who was active in the Democratic Party in both Comal and Guadalupe counties, died May 7.
Wife Peggy also rode in the convoy. A photo tribute to her late husband was taped to the side of a truck alongside “Together We Rise” and “We the People” flags.
“He really embodied the hope behind the Peace Train,” said a participant who requested anonymity. “He would have been one of the principal organizers. He believed someday we would all walk together. Unfortunately, he’s not going to be here to witness it.”
