The temperature dropped and the sun set, but a couple dozen people from Pullman and the greater Palouse area found warmth gathered in downtown Pullman.

Holding lit candles, they stood in front of Pullman City Hall yesterday evening during a vigil to show those who worry for their well-being, in light of Trump’s recent election, that they are supported by the community and are not alone.

“It’s like a breakup,” Lipi Turner-Rahman, 49, said. “I cried, I got depressed, I ate chocolate. Now I’m really mad about it. I felt like Americans betrayed their principles.”

Turner-Rahman felt shocked at both the election results and lack of people who exercised their right to vote, a privilege for which people in other countries are willing to die for. She especially urged young people to get involved in the political process.

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Turner-Rahman is a British-Bangladeshi who immigrated to the U.S., with a caucasian husband and mixed children. She senses an atmosphere of uneasiness amongst neighbors, knowing roughly half of the country had voted for Trump. She said Trump has unleashed antagonistic forces and behaviors within people that could otherwise find common ground within the shared desire to raise and provide for a family.

If people talked to one another, Turner-Rahman said she believes this would solve and bridge many differences amongst the American people.

“Most people have similar goals and dreams and ideals,” she said. “If you want these ideals for yourself, it doesn’t make sense to deny others of them.”

Activist Shelley Calissendorff, 49, who organized the event, wanted to spread a message of love, peace, and hope. Before the vigil started, she set up two hand-painted signs that read “Love Trumps Hate.” Several people driving by expressed their support by honking and yelling.

“My aim is to try to help people feel they’re not alone,” Calissendorff said. “We’re all going to get through this. We all feel afraid. I’m not marginalized, but I empathize.”

She said she is concerned about the environment and the possibility that global warming could be exacerbated in the coming years.

The vigil, which was organized through Facebook and gained attention by word of mouth, attracted participants with its message of peace, opportunity to be politically involved and the solidarity amongst fellow citizens it provided.

It would be a shame if Obamacare was dismantled, said Brent Jeffers, 48, who participated in the event. He is willing to give Trump a chance, although he fears he will have an aggressive style of foreign policy similar to that of former President George W. Bush. Jeffers said people are not as involved with local politics as they could be, mentioning the city council meeting, open to the public, scheduled for later that evening.

“I thought this was less anti-Trump,” said Gwen Anderson, 54. “I liked the message Bernie Sanders promoted, to be tolerant and stand up for others. Everybody came from somewhere else.”

Anderson said she felt sad upon finding out the election results. She accepts his eventual presidency, but is concerned about Trump potentially overturning the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, but said she hopes his beliefs and message change throughout the time he is in office.

“(Trump) talked to a lot of people that felt left out by Democrats,” Anderson said. “I also think it’s really sad that there are immigrants that are afraid they are going to get kicked out of the country.”

It is important to listen to what the people are saying, said Taylor Fievez, a WSU junior studying political science and communication. Fievez said she was attending the event as an ally. She said the most important part of being an ally is listening to what the people within the communities have to say.

“I have to try and support and boost the voices of others,” Fievez said. “Not make it all about me.”