“We’re here today because our city is facing a crisis with the new presidential administration determined to roll back the hard-fought rights and protections of immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals and so many other marginalized communities,” said Councilmember Rue Landau at a hearing on Jan. 22 at City Hall. Landau and the Committee on Law and Government hosted The Trump Preparedness Hearing to explore the city’s ability to protect marginalized communities under President Donald Trump’s leadership.
“Today is not just another policy discussion,” she continued, explaining the meeting should be a catalyst for equipping Philadelphians to stand up for each other. “It’s also a collective call to defend the dignity, safety and very existence of those who too often have been pushed to the edges of society. Philadelphia — a city built on the bold idea of liberty and justice for all — must unite to combat whatever the coming months and years may bring.”
Since Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, 26 executive orders were implemented and 78 of Biden’s executive actions were rescinded. Although many of these actions will be challenged in court, Trump and his allies hastily followed through on intentions to pursue their anti-immigration and anti-LGBTQ+ agendas. Landau highlighted the quickness — noting that for vulnerable people, these policy announcements are “not merely headlines.”
