CLEVELAND, Ohio — It was as if the 2016 RNC returned to life Saturday as more than 30 people peacefully protested Donald Trump’s policies outside the Cleveland Clinic.
And keeping with what made the Republican National Convention here such a pleasant surprise, there was also a polite, accommodating police officer who helped the demonstrators position themselves for maximum visibility and minimal interference with traffic flow.
The other reason for the demonstration was to urge Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove to reconsider having a Clinic fundraiser at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Toward the end of the 30-minute demonstration, Gloria Tavera, a medical student who was one of the protesters, brandished a thick sheaf of paper that she said included an open letter to Dr. Cosgrove, 1,800 signatures objecting to the fundraiser and a letter from Susan Crile, granddaughter of George Washington Crile, a founder of the Clinic.
Rustin Zomorodi, another med student, read it, including the passage where Susan Crile said “I would hope the Cleveland Clinic, in its role as a major health organization and corporation would speak out forcefully against this un-American and unconstitutional ban on Muslim travelers.”
Tavera, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, said the demonstrators wanted to present the packet to the front desk of the Clinic,
Commander David Wright of the Cleveland Clinic Police said there would be no guarantee of what might happen to the document.
“Give it to me and I will personally deliver it to the (clinic foundation) board of governors meeting Monday morning,” he said.
Everyone agreed to that.
The group included Case Western Reserve med students who have worked clinical rotations at the Clinic. They generally belong to Stand Tall Against Trump, an organization that warned last summer that Trump’s promised Muslim ban would cripple health care nationwide.
Also participating Saturday were eight members of Single Payer Action Network Ohio.
Tavera promised that Saturday’s vocal demonstration “won’t be the only time we will be on this sidewalk over the next four years.”
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