Photography: The Oculus at the World Trade Center 7/17/25

Photography: The Oculus at the World Trade Center 7/17/25

Towards the end of the Good Trouble Lives On protest, things got a bit weird and intense: There was this one Trump supporting moron, who came around to shout hateful things at people to get attention. While this woman was shouting that she was pro-ICE and pro-mass deportation, some protestors were pointing out that she was a right wing troll with an arrow sign that read “Right Wing Troll.”

Of course, because this woman was in desperate need of attention, she was trying to get into protestors’ faces — even if she was outnumbered by several thousand. Some time later, a fellow journalist told me that this Trump supporting lady was a trans woman, who was infamously known for racist stunts, including pouring paint over Black Lives Matter murals throughout town.

My response was a resounding “Wait, what?” Look, all I can say is that there are certain people out there, who rarely make sense. A short time later, things got tense: The Trump supporter was being interviewed by a social media influencer — for clout, I guess. During the interview, I heard confirmation: She admitted that she was trans. Unsurprisingly, insults were hurled back and forth. The influencer stormed off and tossed a half-empty water bottle at her.

A small group of protestors blocked off a portion of Worth Street. The cops called in the Strategic Response Unit, who showed up in riot gear. Insults were hurled. People were chanting “The whole world is watching,” as some protestors got handcuffed and led to a van. It was a lot.

My head was spinning. And I wasn’t in a rush to head home. So, I walked over to the Oculus Beer Garden, bought a beer and spent some time watching people pass by as the sun set.

I’m rarely in that part of town. And as I was about to head home, I took a few pictures of The Oculus.