Tampa, FL – On January 20, over 50 people gathered in front of City Hall in downtown Tampa to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump. Protestors held signs reading “Abortion is a human right,” “No deportations” and “Protect trans students,” showing the range of groups affected by Trump’s unpopular policies.

Yun Zheng, a member of the Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, noted the irony of Trump’s inauguration coinciding with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, stating “What better way to honor the legacy of MLK than by fighting for justice? When Trump comes for one of us, he will have to deal with all of us.”

Speeches highlighted how Trump’s presidency means further attacks on women’s and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, worker’s rights and immigrants’ rights.

“Attacks on immigrants’ rights are attacks on workers’ rights,” said Gage Lacharite, a rank-and-file Teamster and UPS driver. “Trump threatens public sector workers, the largest sector of unionized workers in America. In Florida we already know that’s on the chopping block because Governor Ron Desantis passed legislation decertifying most public sector unions in Florida.”

There is a precedent that the reactionary policies in Florida represent the future that Republicans want for the whole country. Florida, along with Texas, was one of the first states to unconstitutionally ban the right to an abortion, which eventually led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Speaking on Trump’s foreign policy, Joseph Charry, a member of Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, said “Trump not only wants to continue the U.S. trend of endless wars, but expand on it by threatening countries like Mexico and Venezuela with military interventions in the middle of his racist rants.”

The protest was organized by the Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society. It was endorsed by Starbucks Workers United, Friends of Human Rights, Florida Student Power Network, and the People’s Pride Coalition.

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