Thousands of protestors gathered at protests across the country Wednesday to denounce the first days of President Donald Trump’s second term. Over 300 Florida demonstrators picketed outside the historic state capitol.
They held up signs and made chants lampooning Trump and his most prominent mega donor, billionaire Elon Musk. Protestors waved their signs at passing cars and were met with a steady flow of affirming horn honks.
The event was organized by several progressive grass roots organizations, including Sunrise Tallahassee, with about 24 hours’ notice. It’s top coordinator, 19-year old FSU student Madalyn Propst, set the tone of the event.
“We all know why we're here. Because there is a man sitting in the White House that thinks members of our community do not deserve the same freedoms as everyone else. And are we gonna stand for that? Are we gonna stand for that? Absolutely we're not. We are going to be loud,” she said.
She told WFSU she’s ready to keep organizing over the next four years.
“I'm hoping he gets impeached for the unconstitutionality of his actions. But if I do have to do this for four years, so be it. It'll be if I don't sleep for the next four years and none of my community gets hurt, then I will be happy,” she said.
Some state Democratic lawmakers attended, including Orlando Representative Anna Eskamani. She says as undocumented people face deportations and immigration enforcement raids in Florida, it’s time for those in attendance to take action.
“What are we going to do about it? We're going to do is, we are going to fight. We're going to organize. If you haven't, if you haven't attended an immigrant rights workshop yet, go do it. We need to spread knowledge and power, and when it comes to assure that our immigrant communities know what their rights are, for us to be allies in that is essential,” she said.
Democrat and progressive organizers are working to make their voices heard, but the Republican-controlled legislature doesn’t appear to be listening. State leaders are focused on bills to collaborate with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
