Photo via Facebook/Diego Saul Reyna
Read: Donald Trump Is Losing His Insane War Against MexicoDonald Trump has stirred up a lot of anger and discussion about racism on both sides of the border over the last few months, with violence at his rallies and his attacks on minorities becoming ever more frequent.Saturday morning, a Mexican construction worker in British Columbia took action into his own hands by climbing the 63 floors of Trump's Vancouver tower to hang a Mexican flag from it. He was not arrested, but he did make a Facebook post, and it's now being widely shared in hopes that the millionaire mogul himself might see it.His name is Diego Saul Reyna, a 30-year-old steel framer from Port Moody, BC. He immigrated from Mexico to Canada in 2011 and says that he has no ill will toward Trump—he just wants him to change his message. VICE spoke to him about his motivations for making the trek up the tower and what he thinks of the American political climate.VICE: When did you decide to climb the tower?Diego Saul Reyna: I had been thinking about doing something for a while, the reason being that here in Canada, Mexicans are very welcome. We are not a discriminated against group. Wherever we go, people love us. We are not seen as gardeners or fast food workers. Canadian society is a more accepting and tolerant culture, so when Mr. Trump started making his comments, I thought that it was going to spread into Canada.
I have a brother who lives in the United States, and he feels that that they are the most discriminated against group over there. Like, it's worse than being black in terms of what you have to deal with on a daily basis. So, if I live in Canada, in this beautiful society, I didn't want to being going through the same.
Tell me about climbing the tower. Did you do any work on the tower?
No, I didn't, but all my friends did. And that's kind of why I went—all my friends who worked on the tower wanted to do something, but they were afraid. They think they're going to get fired or lose their job. I thought, Well, I don't mind. I can't be fired from somewhere I don't work. How did you actually get to the top of the tower?
Well, I put on my steel boots, my hardhat, and my vest, just so I'm not breaking any regulations. I went to the gate and asked a gentleman to open it, he did. I asked another gentleman which way to the elevator, and he kindly led me to the elevator. There was another man at the elevator, and he asked if I had a valid first-aid ticket, and I showed that I did. Because of a delivery, however, I could only go to the twentieth floor. I then walked up the remaining forty floors by stairs. What happened when you got to the roof?
I had the flag with me, and I was trying be careful not to damage the glass, because the building is so nice. I was also trying to do something non-destructive. Some people told me to scratch the glass or mess something up, but if I did that, I'd be validating Trump's accusations. I would be vandalizing, which is a crime, and I'm trying to show that we're not criminals. I would invalidate my own point. Were you up there with anybody else? The photo looks like it was taken by somebody else.
I was with a friend. After we caught our breath and got over the vertigo, we hung the flag, and we were going to leave. I was hoping that someone would see it from an adjacent building or from a helicopter flying by, but we were worried that someone from the building might come and take it down before then. I thought, Might as well take a photo. How has the response been since you posted the photo?
It's been ninety-nine percent positive. Positive toward Mexicans, positive toward tolerance in Canada. I didn't want to do anything negative toward Mr. Trump. My main target was to get him to stop saying that all Mexicans are criminals. I understand he wants to stop illegal immigration, I understand he wants to stop crime, that's fine, that's awesome. I agree with that. I don't disagree with keeping your country safe, but if you say that one hundred fifty million people are all rapists and criminals—that includes my father, my mother, anyone in my family. What do you think about the American elections overall?
I'm not an expert on politics, but I feel that the United States influences our country, Canada, a lot. Whatever happens there will affect us. If there is a person there trying to segregate us into ethnic groups, that is bad. I wanted to make a proactive effort to point out how negative that could be for Canada. If Trump sees this, what do you hope his response is?
I hope he takes my humble request, which is: I respect your policies, I respect your choices and right to lead a country, but please don't call everyone I love, in my family, a criminal. If he does see it, I don't mean to insult him. I just want him to please ask him to change his mind. Follow Jake on Twitter.
No, I didn't, but all my friends did. And that's kind of why I went—all my friends who worked on the tower wanted to do something, but they were afraid. They think they're going to get fired or lose their job. I thought, Well, I don't mind. I can't be fired from somewhere I don't work. How did you actually get to the top of the tower?
Well, I put on my steel boots, my hardhat, and my vest, just so I'm not breaking any regulations. I went to the gate and asked a gentleman to open it, he did. I asked another gentleman which way to the elevator, and he kindly led me to the elevator. There was another man at the elevator, and he asked if I had a valid first-aid ticket, and I showed that I did. Because of a delivery, however, I could only go to the twentieth floor. I then walked up the remaining forty floors by stairs. What happened when you got to the roof?
I had the flag with me, and I was trying be careful not to damage the glass, because the building is so nice. I was also trying to do something non-destructive. Some people told me to scratch the glass or mess something up, but if I did that, I'd be validating Trump's accusations. I would be vandalizing, which is a crime, and I'm trying to show that we're not criminals. I would invalidate my own point. Were you up there with anybody else? The photo looks like it was taken by somebody else.
I was with a friend. After we caught our breath and got over the vertigo, we hung the flag, and we were going to leave. I was hoping that someone would see it from an adjacent building or from a helicopter flying by, but we were worried that someone from the building might come and take it down before then. I thought, Might as well take a photo. How has the response been since you posted the photo?
It's been ninety-nine percent positive. Positive toward Mexicans, positive toward tolerance in Canada. I didn't want to do anything negative toward Mr. Trump. My main target was to get him to stop saying that all Mexicans are criminals. I understand he wants to stop illegal immigration, I understand he wants to stop crime, that's fine, that's awesome. I agree with that. I don't disagree with keeping your country safe, but if you say that one hundred fifty million people are all rapists and criminals—that includes my father, my mother, anyone in my family. What do you think about the American elections overall?
I'm not an expert on politics, but I feel that the United States influences our country, Canada, a lot. Whatever happens there will affect us. If there is a person there trying to segregate us into ethnic groups, that is bad. I wanted to make a proactive effort to point out how negative that could be for Canada. If Trump sees this, what do you hope his response is?
I hope he takes my humble request, which is: I respect your policies, I respect your choices and right to lead a country, but please don't call everyone I love, in my family, a criminal. If he does see it, I don't mean to insult him. I just want him to please ask him to change his mind. Follow Jake on Twitter.