Tallahassee: Over 1000 rally at Florida Capitol against Trump’s reactionary agenda

By Lain Dorsey and Lochlan Montanus

Tallahassee, FL – On Saturday, April 5, over 1000 people gathered at the Florida State Capitol building in Tallahassee to protest the Trump administration’s reactionary agenda. The protest was organized as a part of the 50501 Movement alongside hundreds of other demonstrations held in Florida and across the country, telling Trump, Elon Musk, and their cronies, “Hands off!”

One attendee, Nicole Soza of Food Not Bombs, noted that in her nine years of organizing she had never seen a turnout that large in Tallahassee. “I think it’s a clear sign that working-class people are no longer willing to tolerate being exploited, nor are they willing to see their BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and disabled brothers and sisters be oppressed any longer.”

Over a dozen local organizations co-sponsored the event, including the Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance (TIRA), Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood, the Tallahassee Community Action Community (TCAC), Food Not Bombs, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

Since stepping into office, Trump has ramped up political repression of anyone who expresses dissent with his backwards policies. Local and federal law enforcement have been given the green light to arrest immigrants, such as Mahmoud Khalil, who stand up against Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. Expanding the powers of abusive U.S. police forces not only has negative consequences for immigrants but also increases the oppression of Black and brown people in the country. Far-right commentators like Ben Shapiro have suggested pardoning killer cops like Derek Chauvin, an idea that Trump would undoubtedly be amenable to.

Delilah Pierre, president of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, spoke on the importance of building a movement against police crimes. The NAARPR affiliate is currently campaigning to have the charges on Calvin Riley, a Black man who had evidence of a DUI planted on him, dropped. TCAC is also fighting to shift resources from police to pay for the needs of Tallahassee residents,

Pierre stated, “We have to continue to fight for Calvin Riley, show solidarity with all those affected by the Trump administration, and fight for a budget that reflects the priorities of the people in Tallahassee.”

JJ Glueck stated, “We are lucky not to be followed by police and arrested like Jacksonville SDSers. We are lucky not to be beaten with batons like the students at Wash U. And we are lucky to live in the belly of the beast. My university still stands, but not a single Palestinian university was spared from U.S.-made bombs.”

In Trump’s first term, he and his administration worked to strip back the reproductive rights of women and LGBTQ people. Now, these attacks have resumed in a more blatant manner. Trenece Robertson, a reproductive justice organizer and one of the event’s emcees, stated, “For a long time, people’s autonomy has been under attack, from white women being denied sexual education during the Victorian period to Black women being forcibly experimented on and sterilized. These attacks on abortion and gender-affirming care are nothing new. It’s just that masks are officially off, and our lawmakers are finally being honest about how they felt.”

While Trump has been attacking the rights of immigrants, women, queer people and others, a common talking point was that of Trump’s economic policies. Trump’s tariffs on countries that the U.S. regularly trades with is creating economic uncertainty for working-class families. The Republican Party has even openly discussed taking aim at Medicaid and Social Security.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization member Regina Joseph emphasized the importance of not just mobilizing, but organizing against Trump and Musk’s attacks on the rights of the working class, stating, “We need to organize because it’s the only way we can win. We need to build a massive broad movement against Trump and the multimillionaire and billionaire class!”

The rally had an air of righteous anger, with some protesters expressing fear and even despair at the onslaught of cruel attacks. Robert Lee, member of Food Not Bombs and TIRA addressed these fears and the importance of uniting in the face of it, “Donald Trump and his administration want us to feel isolated and afraid, that’s how they win. But together with our collective power we can win!”

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