Gainesville and High Springs Protest for No Kings 3
Activists in Gainesville and High Springs showed up in large crowds Saturday for the third iteration of No Kings protests.
The Gainesville protest came around 12:00 p.m. at Cora P. Roberson Park, while the High Springs protest came later in the afternoon at city hall.
No Kings 3 organizers announced in a press release that several local politicians and candidates attended the Gainesville protest, including School Board Member Sarah Rockwell, City Commissioner Casey Willits, County Commissioner Ken Cornell, State House District 22 candidate Amy Trask, and Federal House District 3 candidate Seth Harp.
Activists at the Gainesville protest heard from several speakers, one of the first being David Arreola, a former city commissioner and founder of 50501 Gainesville. He told the crowd, “I know many of you feel the same frustration—how have we not impeached him again? How have we not removed this government yet? The reality is, in America, things have always moved slowly [and take] too long. But if we keep pushing, the power remains in the hands of the people and we can achieve victory.”
Arreola mentioned the recent Democrat House victory in the district that includes Mar-a-Lago and said the upcoming midterm is the “only chance” to stop the Trump administration. Arreola referenced comments from other people saying they don’t like both parties. “‘I don’t like the Democrat that’s running.’ I tell you what, if you don’t like the Democrat that’s running… Primary them! Run against them… I’m tired of people who are running as if these are normal times. If you don’t have the spine to speak out against Donald Trump and J.D. Vance… If you think you can reason with madness, step aside, this is not your time.”
As the protest continued, one of the speakers disparaged the so-called “American dream,” stating, “That’s a fucking lie… [It’s] sugar coated slavery. They want us working everyday… without looking [at] the outside world. They’re killing people—they’re eating babies. Do you understand that? They’re eating babies… They’re still not behind bars. They’re still not getting hanged up in public. What kind of country are we living [in]?”
As the man continued speaking, Gainesville Women for Democracy Founder Pam Smith approached and appeared to indicate for him to wrap it up. Smith was followed by another woman who also stood close to the man. He continued, “I know it’s hard when somebody tells you that something that you have believed [in] for so long [is] not true. Everything that we live on is a lie.”
The man pressed that the differences are “top and bottom,” not “left and right,” as Smith began grabbing his arm to take the microphone.
After the release of millions of files relating to Jeffrey Epstein, claims began circulating online regarding Epstein and/or his associates engaging in cannibalism, specifically baby-cannibalism. The files don’t appear to show substantial evidence that would corroborate cannibalism allegations.
The files do contain “disturbing and credible evidence of systematic and large-scale sexual abuse, trafficking and exploitation of women and girls,” according to United Nations (UN) experts.
The files contain numerous references to “jerky” fueling speculation that “jerky” is code for human meat, a claim that’s disputed by Snopes, a fact-checking website.
Jordan Liles
References in Epstein's message exchanges regarding babies and cream cheese promoted more claims of cannibalism, with some individuals interpreting them as Epstein saying babies taste like cream cheese, which has been disputed.
Nur Ibrahim
The rumors were also fueled from an interview investigators conducted with an individual who was described in an email as a “purported Epstein victim.” He told investigators about ritualistic abuse, to include sexual abuse involving Epstein and high level government officials, in addition to “babies being dismembered, their intestines removed, and individuals eating the feces from these intestines.” It was noted that the individual making the report did not provide “supporting or corroborating evidence or witnesses that could be contacted” and that it was “not recommended that any additional investigative resources be expended concerning [the] claim.”
The interview was conducted in August 2019 but resurfaced following the passing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The resurfacing of the ritualistic abuse allegations preceded the recent death of Shoshana Strook, the daughter of far-right Israeli National Missions Minister Orit Strook. Shoshana Strook was found dead earlier this month. Over the past year leading up to her death, she issued allegations of ritualistic child sexual abuse against her parents. She spoke about being "under threat from larger criminal figures," however, her death doesn't appear to carry suspicion of foul-play, according to Israeli media.
Actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were a significant part of the discussion at No Kings 3.
Representing the Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative, Rural Women’s Health Project Director Veronica Roblero told the crowd that ICE is very active in Florida. “But if you look around it doesn’t look like Minneapolis,” she said. “You don’t see ICE agents in our city. What you do see is what’s called 287 (g) agreements…” which allows local and state police agencies to conduct arrests on behalf of ICE. “This means our neighbors are being kidnapped and detained through quote ‘routine traffic stops…’ Every day our neighbors are being detained on the way to work, on their way to take their kids to school. Sometimes whole cars are being taken.”
Nearly all Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) troopers have completed 287 (g) training. There have been cases where Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) deputies assisted FHP in their investigations relating to immigration enforcement.
As the Gainesville protest came to a close, several activists led by the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) and Solidarity at UF marched to the university to protest the UF Police Department’s (UFPD) 287 (g) agreement with ICE.
Florida State Board of Immigration Enforcement data on the 287 (g) program indicates that UFPD hasn’t made any arrests within the context of the agreement. However, YDSA has argued that UF should do more to help immigrant students and prevent student deportation, such as in the case of former student Felipe Zapata Velásquez, who was deported after being arrested for driving with an expired license and registration.
YDSA and Solidarity at UF recently obtained several emails relating to UFPD's 287 (g) agreement which they published on social media:
Florida State Board of Immigration Enforcement data shows that ACSO has had 38 encounters with suspected unauthorized immigrants since August 1, 2025.
Out of the 38 encounters, 16 individuals were not arrested. 12 were arrested on federal immigration charges while ten were arrested on local/state charges.
The Gainesville Police Department (GPD) is the only law enforcement agency in Alachua County to have not signed the agreement. However, everyone arrested by GPD is taken to the Alachua County Jail which is under ACSO’s authority.
As of the most recent reporting, GPD is on the verge of signing the agreement.
The data reports that out of the roughly 19,000 encounters that have occurred between state or local law enforcement and suspected unauthorized immigrants, only 47 have been classified as confirmed gang affiliates. This makes up less than one percent of people encountered. Over 14,000 individuals encountered (72%) have been classified as not affiliated with a gang, while roughly 5,300 individuals encountered (27%) are classified as unknown regarding gang affiliation.
Within ACSO, they’ve only arrested one suspected unauthorized immigrant who’s been reported as having confirmed gang affiliation, the data shows.
Within the High Springs Police Department, the data shows they haven't made any formal arrests for the 287 (g) program. However, they did assist the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco in an investigation that led to an ICE hold.
The keynote speakers of the Gainesville protest were Warren Goldstein, an award-winning author and former Chair of the Department of History at the University of Hartford, and Zorhara Simmons, Senior Lecturer Erimita at UF, and an activist who worked in the Civil Rights Movement as a member of Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.
Other notable speakers included Teacher’s Union President Carmen Ward, Alachua County Young Democrats President Juan Osorio, Pastor Rebecca Putman of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Lynx Bookstore Operations Manager Jackie Davidson, and Evelyn Foxx, the president of the Alachua County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Around 4 p.m., protesters showed up at High Springs City Hall for roughly an hour of protesting. Protesters heard a speech from Asia Eichmiller, president of the Democratic Women’s Club of Alachua County.
Eichmiller said, “We believe in the rule of law—no one is above the law. There is justice and accountability for all. We say No Kings! We will always value liberty over tyranny. Protecting democracy requires participation, courage, and people willing to show up just as you have today to protest peacefully. Our commitment—No Kings. Not now. Not ever.”
Editor's Notes: The specific numbers provided on the state immigration data are rounded to the nearest thousandth and hundredth.
