Tampa Bay’s anti-Donald Trump contingent is fired up.
Hundreds of demonstrators flocked to downtown St. Petersburg Saturday afternoon, waving signs, chanting and voicing their disapproval for America’s 47th president.
And they promised to keep showing up.
“There’s a desire among the people to have a way to express their frustration with what’s happening,” said Helen Amburgey, a lead organizer of the St. Petersburg event.
It was the second major protest in April for a coalition of groups led locally by the Pinellas chapter of the National Organization of Women. On April 5, hundreds more came out in similar demonstrations that were part of the nationwide “Hands Off!” protest movement that saw millions of Americans take to the streets.
More protests happened around the region Saturday, including one at Cypress Point Park in Tampa and another near the University of South Florida.
About 1,000 registered to show up to the St. Petersburg event, Amburgey said. The crowd didn’t appear quite that large, but demonstrators still packed around the perimeter of Williams Park. Just like two weeks ago, the St. Petersburg event was part of a nationwide day of action.
Among the protesters’ grievances: The Trump administration’s move to slash the size of the federal workforce; its apparent disregard for due process when deporting people it says are in the country illegally; and Florida’s six-week abortion ban, which many attribute to Trump’s appointment of the conservative Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“Why hold this event?” read the webpage distributed online to protestors ahead of time. “This offers a way to collectively express our outrage.”
One attendee dressed like a character from “The Handmaid’s Tale” — a story about an extremely oppressive male-dominated society. Another came in a full orange jumpsuit and Trump mask, alluding to Trump’s felony conviction. A man walked down the sidewalk on the west side of the park proudly holding aloft toilet paper with Trump’s face on it.
Mellina Jennings stood on the corner of 3rd Street and 2nd Avenue North waiving a sign that read, “Eggs are expensive because all the chickens are in Congress.”
As a large speaker nearby blared “American Pie,” Jennings said she came to the protest because she wanted a way to voice her feelings about Trump’s consolidation of federal power.
Particularly alarming to her is the Trump administration’s immigration policy. Around the country, officials have revoked the legal status of numerous immigrants here legally.
“They’re totally disregarding everything that this country stands on,” Jennings said.
Michael Sanford of Largo, an Air Force veteran of 25 years, stood on 3rd Street holding a sign protesting the Trump administration’s planned cuts to the Veterans Administration.
Sanford said he’s heard about nothing but good experiences at the local VA health system at Bay Pines. He worries the Trump administration will jeopardize the care offered to veterans who only served a short time.
“To go at it the way they’re going at it, it’s not to cut waste,” Sanford said. “It’s to destroy.”
There was no unifying theme to the protestors’ message. Some waved signs packed with paragraphs of text. The Trump administration has so angered its critics, it can be difficult to find a theme to the resistance. As one sign put it: “Too much for 1 sign!”
But logistically, the event was tightly organized. Leaders handed out free bottles of water to those roasting in the April sun. Volunteers worked to keep the crowd from disrupting traffic or pedestrians.
“Please keep all cross walks clear! Thank you!” said Jo Weddleton from the sunny corner of 3rd Street and 1st Avenue N. “We are not above the law!”
