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Local people react to the inauguration of a new president

Sasha-Ann Simons
/
WXXI News

The inauguration of President Donald Trump was the topic of conversation Friday at a lot of places around Rochester where people usually gather, and barbershops traditionally are  a place to share thoughts and comments.

At Changing Faces Barbershop in Irondequoit, one of the barbers, Kelvin Young, who was among those watching the ceremonies on the TV in the shop, said he hopes President Trump can deliver what he promised as a candidate.

“Praying that he can make America as great as he promised, and not just with one ethnic group, just us as a whole. I think if he delivershis promises than we can all achieve great things together,” he told WXXI News.

One of the men in the shop for a haircut, Ernest Green is a Rochester resident and a veteran. He was concerned about what he saw as a lack of diversity in the inauguration crowd.

“When I look over that inauguration crowd, I don’t see many of ‘me’ and that to me shows that the divide in our country, and being a veteran, I’m not real happy about that.”

Green says even if Trump was not his pick for president, he wants to see him succeed.

Video by Martin Kaufman:

Among the local Republicans attending the inauguration ceremonies in Washington was Monroe County Republican Chair Bill Reilich.  He found Trump's speech inspiring, and says it reminded him of another Republican president.

“He talked about America first, he talked about restoring the pride once again, and that is reminiscent of Ronald Reagan who made it fashionable to be patriotic and that’s how I feel, the same is true with Donald Trump.”

With a different view is Karolyn Armer of Rochester, who will be headed on a bus Saturday to the Women's March on Washington.

She wishes Trump had been more inclusive in his speech.

“Reasonable people can disagree on what the issues are, but reasonable people have to agree that we’re all equal under the law , our constitution is our bedrock and this is not a monarchy," Armer said.

There will be rallies held in conjunction with the Women’s March on Washington in a number of cities on Saturday, including one in downtown Rochester and another in Seneca Falls.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.
Sasha-Ann Simons joined the team at WXXI News in 2015 as a Multimedia Reporter/Producer. She tells stories about the innovation economy and technology in upstate New York and also does general assignment reporting. Sasha-Ann is the host of Arts InFocus, WXXI-TV's weekly arts and culture program. She is also a fill-in host and regular contributor to Need To Know.