In Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral and elsewhere around the region, citizens showed up on May 1 to protest the drastic changes proposed and implemented by the Trump Administration.
More than 1,000 people were estimated to have gathered at the Collier County Courthouse, just two weeks after a similar protest.
Paul Stephens was one of the organizers of the gathering. He explained why they are back: “We’re doing a cadence of events, because things are not changing in Washington. In fact, every day you see the news, they seem to be getting worse.”
Smaller groups gathered earlier in Cape Coral and at Gulf Coast Town Center in south Lee County.
Rev. Tony Fisher of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Naples kicked off the evening.
“We value freedom of speech and the prayer we need to be able to express our opinions openly and without fear of reprisal. Yeah. We value true freedom of religion where one viewpoint does not have any greater sway than another, and religion is kept out of our public schools. We want a democracy, not a theocracy,” he said.
People held signs and banners expressing their wishes. The group walked from the courthouse to Route 41, eliciting honks and shouts, mostly of support, from drivers.
James DeJacimo held a pole with an upside down American flag which, he said, is a distress signal. He says he’s at the protest to protect democracy.
“I'm a Marine. Vietnam veteran. But now, now I live in a country where I'm going to be 77 years old, and the freedoms I supposedly fought for are being taken away from us,” he said.
Libby Bramson would also like to see things change.
“Every morning when I wake up, I remember where I am," she said. "I think I’m in Dusseldorf, Germany in 1932 and not in the United States of America. What’s happening today is not America.”
Peter Fagan is 87 years old and a former middle school teacher. He is concerned for the generations to come.
“I have young grandchildren," said Fagan. "And I want them to grow up in a country where they have the advantages that I’ve had. And I think we have a very corrupt situation on our hands.”
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