A large Trump rally faced a group of Black Lives Matter counter protesters in a diverse southwest Kansas community last month. The raucous but peaceful confrontations that followed shed a light on the hopes and fears driving competing visions for Americas future in the November general election.

A cool breeze blew through Light Park, situated prominently along the main drag in Liberal on a late summer Saturday evening.

The wind was a welcome respite from a warm, sunny day in Seward County but offered no relief from heated conversations as opposing groups faced off in the normally quiet park.

Lucy Myers stood back from the two crowds there were more than 500 supporters joining in a Pop Up 4 Trump parade and rally and about 25 supporters of the local Black Lives Matter movement protesting the show of support for the president.

It was a window into the anxieties and loyalties gripping the nation as Novembers presidential election between Republican incumbent Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden nears.

Myers placed her arm around her elementary-aged daughter Jordyn as she leaned in close to explain what was happening.

There are other people who dont believe the same way, and thats fine, she said.

When asked if she supports one political side or the other, Myers said thats not why shes here.

Those are my beliefs; those arent her beliefs, she said, looking down at her daughter. Im just here to facilitate and show her everything.

As a Trump defender and BLM supporter squared off, the young girl said the arguing made her nervous.

After reassuring her daughter, Myers said she feels its important for her to see both sides.

I just wanted her to see the atmosphere, she explained.

She looked down and said, Letting you see it through neutral eyes lets you decide.

The Pop Up 4 Trump event held in Liberal began with a parade that started at the Rock Island Depot and proceeded to Light Park. Onlookers Ashleigh Hall and her daughter, Kyleigh, watched the hundreds of President Donald Trumps supporters who were on hand, in addition to about two dozen Black Lives Matter activists.

Laura Tawater a huge smile on her face held up her phone to record Seward County Commissioner C.J. Wettstein giving a stump speech from the bed of a red pickup truck.

As the event organizer and Kansas GOP vice-chairwoman for the 1st Congressional District, shes pleased the Pop Up 4 Trump campaign has made its way across the state, east to west.

Liberal was the first community, though, where it has faced an organized protest, Tawater said.

Usually what we do is just pop up, and its a magnet, she said.

The demographics of Liberal stand in contrast to the state as a whole. Non-Hispanic white people make up only 28% of the communitys population but 75% of the people statewide, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. About 62% of the citys population is Hispanic or Latino, while 6% is Black.

Yet its also a place where identities span multiple categories. About 55% of Liberals residents identified as white in a 2019 survey.

While Biden leads in polls among Hispanics nationally, Trump is winning at least a third of them, and some political observers say their votes could be pivotal in a close election. So, it wasnt surprising to see an SUV sporting a Latinos for Trump sign cruising down Kansas Avenue in the parade alongside four-wheelers and massive flags.

While Tawaters group sells Republican T-shirts, hats and signs, she said the movement is about more than the merchandise.

Were really trying to get out the vote, she said. We have voter registrations. Were talking about President Trump and his accomplishments, and also were highlighting the state and local candidates too. Its the connections were making with people.

Tawater sees her mission as more crucial than ever.

This is a do-or-die election, she said. Freedom versus communism. We feel like its life or death. We feel like were on the verge of losing our country.

She said Republicans fear the Democratic Party is moving toward communism as it links itself to social and racial justice groups.

We have to get Trump reelected, because well keep our liberty, our constitution, she said.

Ashleigh Hall watched Wettstein intently while she wrapped her arms around her daughter Kyleigh. She shares Tawaters fears.

I feel if Trump loses, its going to turn into a communist country, she said. You get a certain amount of food, you cant do this and you cant do that. Its supposed to be a free country.

Another Trump supporter, Joseph Gentry who stretched out on his motorcycle while he watched the BLM group and occasionally revved its engine to drown out protesters chants said his support for Trump is largely based on economics.

Trump has done so much, he said. Hes helped me stay working. When Obama was in office, the oil fields shut down. Trump got the oil fields back up and running, and I needed it.

Gentry said he worries a Biden win will lead to a recession.

Then well become communist, he said. Yet pointing to the protesters, Gentry said the right to protest is an important one. But it only underscored the importance of a Trump win in November.

Im glad they are out here and they are protesting what they feel, he said. Were out here protesting what we feel. Its our right. And with communism, we will not have that.

Hundreds of President Donald Trumps supporters were on hand for the Pop Up 4 Trump event, along with about two dozen Black Lives Matter activists. Having Trump partisans in close contact with backers of racial equality has proved explosive in some cities across America, but this event was constrained.

Earlier in the evening, a group of friends gathered on a sidewalk as the Trump train vehicles bedecked with flags and Trump signs made its way north from the old depot.

They laughed and waved, eager to show their support for the president.

We love Trump, Karen Seibel said. Look at what hes done for this country. He loves America.

She was quick to voice disdain for other politicians, questioning their truthfulness compared with Trumps.

He lies less, Seibel said. And, I think he only lies to us when he needs to.

Her sister Donna Moody chimed in.

No, he doesnt lie, she said with a chuckle. He just doesnt tell it all.

Chris Wells jumped in and said she likes Trump because hes got guts and has an ornery streak.

But her husband, Greg Wells, said the upcoming election is about more than just admiration for Trump. Like Tawater, he fears what a Democratic president would mean for the nation.

You know what the Democrats are wanting to do? Greg Wells said. The Democrats want to get rid of everything. We need government. We need policemen. Trumps been good for the United States, and he had to fight everybody to get here, and hes still fighting.

Chris Wells said Americans will lose their rights if Trump isnt reelected.

In that sense, Seibel said the election is about securing rights for future generations.

Im old, she said. It wont matter to me, but it will matter to my grandchildren.

The most unfortunate part about the state of the U.S. government, Greg Wells said, is the politicians seeming inability to cross the aisle for the good of the people. He suggested term limits as a solution.

We have too much civil unrest because of the parties, Greg Wells said. Theyre not playing together. Its not the way its supposed to be. We put them up there, those people up there, to take care of us.

Seibel added, You forget who youre doing it for.

BLM supporter Abi Rivas said shes ready for her government to remember her.

Wearing a feather headpiece and a Mexican flag wrapped around her shoulders, she chanted Black Lives Matter with her fist in the air.

Just like the Trump supporters, Rivas said the upcoming election is important to her, too, as a visible brown person in this country.

I live in fear every day that some person is going to attack me because of my skin color, she said.

Or some person is going to attack my dad because of his skin color, because of his status in this country. Its important for me to be here because it represents not only me, but Black people, Mexican, Asians, South Asians. Im here to speak for people who cant physically be here, Rivas said.

Listing off the names Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, 18-year-old Jernell Martinez said the BLM movement goes beyond skin color.

When I was standing and going back and forth with a man, I said we were standing with white kids, white people who are dying at the hands of the police, she said. Its not just Black lives.

Its for all of our lives. But they kept thinking were just saying Black lives. We talk about all lives.

Martinez said she also speaks out for her loved ones, including her grandfather, who she said was killed after being deported to Mexico. Its all for equality, Shatarrika Ross added. Ross said it was worrisome to see children joining in the Trump rally.

I feel like thats wrong, to take the innocence of a child away, to just tell them to be a certain way instead of giving them that option to choose, she said. These babies dont know whats going on. There are some who are just taught like that, and its sad.

For Rivas, her concerns go beyond race.

Its about how the futures going to be for all of us, she said. I just turned 18. This is my future.

Although she couldnt vote in 2016, Rivas said she was devastated when Trump was elected.

I was very heartbroken, and I was in fear every day, she said. If Trump gets elected again, I feel like society is going to feel white people have more power.

While she said Biden isnt exactly who shed envisioned as a Democratic nominee, his election would be the first step toward change.

Its going to push a lot of minorities, especially a lot of young minorities, to be like, I need to voice my opinion. I need to change this country to be something even better, Rivas said.

And while Republicans worry about the spread of communism, Rivas said its not on her agenda.

A lot of us are fighting communists, she said. None of us want a communist country. Theres a variety of people who are Democrats. No one wants a country where people have to share everything.

Despite her worries about a Biden presidency, Tawater said she wants people to stay optimistic.

If we can keep people gathering up like this, people are happy, she said. People are excited. They love their country.

But at the same time, Tawater said she sees whats possible on the horizon.

I think in a fair election, Trump will win by a landslide, she said. Were just bracing. I think the left wing of America just wont accept a second term. And I think all hells gonna break loose.

And if Biden wins?

Its just going to get really bad, Tawater said.

Martinez said her fight for justice likely wont end with either Trump or Biden in office.

Ill fight till the day I die, like my ancestors, she said. Ill always sit there and fight for people. Its not going to stop me. Whoever wins, it dont matter. If things are still the same, then Im still fighting.

And even if the election doesnt go the way she wants, Martinez said shell still hope for change.

Thats all you can do hope, Ross replied.

A version of this article appears in the Fall 2020 issue of The Journal, a publication of the Kansas Leadership Center. To learn more about KLC, visit http://kansasleadershipcenter.org. Order your copy of the magazine at the KLC Store or subscribe to the print edition.

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What happened when Trump backers and Black Lives Matters protesters met in Liberal - The Journal at the Kansas Leadership Center