Community Leaders Speak on National, State and Local Issues at No Kings Protest
Thousands of people stretched across SW 6th St. and Cora P. Roberson Park Saturday morning for the No Kings protest.
Organized by the 50501 movement, the No Kings protest was held in cities across the country in opposition to President Donald Trump’s military parade, which cost an estimated $25 million to $45 million.
The parade coincides with the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, Flag Day and Trump's 79th birthday.
In an interview, Gainesville Women for Democracy member Renee Andrews said the parade “is really for the man in charge and not so much about the military.” She said that Trump wants to use the parade as a “show of power, strength and masculinity.”
Speaking to a large crowd of protesters, Theatre of Memory Museum Director Robert Hutchinson said, “I am a combat infantry veteran, and I bring that up because the idea of a draft-dodging man-baby who calls us and our fallen friends ‘losers and suckers’ is now throwing himself a military parade costing upwards of $45 million while ⅓ of the children in America are hungry… I responded with outrage, a bitter, seething anger blossoming straight from my amygdala. My reptilian brain was in full fight-or-flight response until I realized that I had fallen right into their trap… Don't let those far-off honky MoFos determine your well-being, making you ‘sick with worry’ and ‘sick with fear.’ Those are real things. Let's not play into their plans.”
Gainesville Immigrant and Inclusion Initiative (GINI) core member Ethan Maia de Needell said in an interview that he was concerned about protester safety amid comments from Governor Ron DeSantis and Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey.
Ivey said in a press conference that anyone who throws a brick, a firebomb, or points a gun at deputies will be killed.
DeSantis said in a press conference that “If a mob comes and surrounds your vehicle and threatens you, you have a right to flee for your safety, so if you drive off and hit these people, that’s their fault.”
Maia de Needell said their comments “give permission” to people that want to commit violence against protesters and that Florida wants to “show they’re the opposite of California in a lot of the worst ways.”
The No Kings protest occurred amid the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles (LA), California, over protests against raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Progressive Democrats of America Gainesville chapter Chair Jean McCoy said in an interview that the protests in California have caused a dramatic response from Florida officials. She said, “They’re telling you that you can run people down. Who talks like that? How is that okay? We are a peaceful protesting group. There is no one here being violent. I lived in LA for more than a decade, and I know what's really going on there. What's really going on there is not violence. There may be a few bad apples, but it's a peaceful protest.”
Speaking to protesters, 50501 Coalition organizer and former City Commissioner David Arreola told protesters to not block sidewalks and roadways or engage with any counter-protesters. He said, “That is not what we are here to do. We’re here to create space for the movement… The 50501 movement launched in response to the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration… Since January, the administration has attacked our civil liberties, performed illegal and unconstitutional activities, and gutted public services that we pay for with our taxes… There are three values that everyone who participates [in the 50501 movement] is expected to uphold. (1) Nonviolent resistance. The language and imagery we use is unquestionably nonaggressive… (2) Inclusivity and accessibility. Everyone comes to the table with different knowledge, abilities and skills. We are united under our shared goal… (3) De-escalation and conflict resolution. We are committed to peaceful conflict resolution by fostering open dialogue and using empathy and grace in our communications.”
Arreola said that 50501 is a decentralized movement and that it has a lot of leaders, but nobody is in charge.
In a speech to protesters, North Central Florida Pride Community Center Board member Joe Smith said, “I’m a longtime volunteer and an ex-Evangelical pastor who now spends every fourth Friday where I believe Jesus would be, in a room full of beautiful, brave queer teens for our pride student meetups… I see kids who’ve been told they are too much or not enough. Kids who got kicked out of churches, cut off by their families, misgendered by teachers, and erased by lawmakers. Kids who walk into the world carrying wounds that come wrapped in Bible verses and draped with red, white and blue.”
Gainesville Jewish Voices for Peace member Merryl Maler gave a speech to protesters saying, “Zionists are not Jewish. They might have been born Jewish, but Jews believe in feeding people. We've been starving people in Gaza... We've been sending billions of dollars over there to murder people who are innocent and beautiful. You talk to a Palestinian; they're brilliant... They deserve to be here like we all deserve to have equality."
In an interview, North Central Florida Veterans for Peace Vice President Damian Niolet said the organization is focused on ensuring veterans don’t lose access to their benefits amid potential Veterans Affairs funding cuts. Niolet said, “It’s mostly been rumors. It's nothing official, but I have heard some stuff about [cuts]... There are some internal people who are afraid to say what exactly is going on, but they’ve told us to protest.”
Giving a speech to protesters on local issues, Porters Quarters community leader Faye Williams criticized the city government while Mayor Harvey Ward stood a few feet behind her.
Williams said, “In addition to the gentrification, developers and the city commission… we are struggling with this cement plant… We have been trying to shut that down for almost six years. Nobody listened to us because we're Black folks. They would not have a cement plant in the Northwest with the white folks… We talked to the Environmental Protection Agency and the health department, and we went to City Hall; nobody listened to us… Think about what's happening on 5th Avenue… They want to knock out all those low-housing apartments, Section Eight, to build more condos. It's going to increase the homeless population in Gainesville. They may not tell you this on the news; when you go to City Hall, they’re all organized, but most of the time they’re liars… I love Desmond Duncan; she's my city councilwoman. I love [Commissioner] James Ingle. But at the same time we have to protest them.”
About an hour later, Williams returned to the stage and said, “I have a really big announcement. The mayor came over… and told me he’s never met with us, which is a lie. I told him I don’t make decisions by myself; I have a group… We will meet with the mayor to shut down the cement plant."
In his speech, Ward told protesters, “I heard somewhere that there's a rally of sorts in Washington, DC, with tanks and bazookas and all kinds of stuff, but this is Gainesville, and we brought hippies with guitars. I want you to know that in Gainesville you can come talk to the mayor anytime you want down at City Hall… The big thing I want you to do is be kind to each other… Some of you are here at great personal risk. I see immigrants, teachers, children, retirees and veterans… It's easy for me to come out as the mayor—a big white guy. It's easy for me to be here. It's not easy for everybody.”
Mayor Harvey Ward gives a speech to protesters (GnvInfo)
Several of Ward’s colleagues, Commissioner Casey Willis, Commissioner James Ingle and Commissioner Bryan Eastman, also attended the protest.
As of this writing, the 50501 movement hasn’t announced their next action, but they have organized large protests on a monthly basis since February, so there will likely be at least one in July.
The next local protest will be held by the Gainesville chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation to show solidarity with protesters in LA. The protest will be held at 5:00 p.m. on June 17 at Depot Park.
