FORT LAUDERDALE – A crowd of protesters were turned back Saturday morning after approaching President Donald Trump’s home in Palm Beach.
Walking along the road lined with police cars, hundreds of demonstrators chanted, “King, America!” With a line spread out for the block. Florida Highway Patrol troopers line the roads on the other side of the bridge, carrying shields and zip ties. A Trump supporter stands near a truck carrying the “ice” slogan, separated by the Troopers on the other side of the road.
The protesters denounced immigrant arrests, dramatic cuts in social services and what they viewed as pushes to the dictatorial government, as illustrated by the sight of tanks running through Washington, D.C. in the military parade ordered by the president.
“As Cubans, I feel it’s very important to talk about what we think is wrong,” says Madeleine Margause, who grew up under the country’s communist government, walking on the bridge towards Trump’s house. “There aren’t many Cubans on our side, but as if they were from the dictatorship, I see the signs coming, and I don’t want to fall into the same regime as my country and the one that escaped.”
The march was stopped in front of Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies in shields and helmets at the edge of the bridge.
“They are armed like some kind of invasion,” said 69-year-old Shell Shannack, one of the marches who noted that the march was peace. “Our flags, our signs, our voices – that’s everything we have.”
Protesters gathered at Phipps Skate Park in West Palm Beach, just over a mile from President Mar Lago Real Estate, holding signs and waving American flags. The sound of drums pounding them cheered, chanting “No ice, no kkk, no fascist America,” and signalling “Silence = Compliance will abolish ice now” and “Fake King Way.”
Robust early turnout came as a relief for one demonstrator, Peter Smith, 29. He was worried that people might not speak up enough when the country went down the “dark path” to fascism.
“It’s ridiculous to throw a North Korean-style military parade at the United States,” he said. “Major deportation is ridiculous. We take armed, armored ice agents to schools, restaurants at work. It all looks like fascism and we need to do everything we can to stop it.”
An estimated 2,000 demonstrations, organized by a coalition of liberal groups under the “No Kings” banner, are planned to coincide with Trump’s birthday and the sights of the military parade through Washington, DC.
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Major demonstrations planned in South Florida include a march from Phipps Skate Park to Mar Arago, a rally at the Meyer Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, and a rally at Sunrise Boulevard on Fort Lauderdale’s beach. Other demonstrations are planned in Coral Springs, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, and Miami.
More than 2,000 people appeared at a demonstration on the beach in Fort Lauderdale, according to one of the organizers.
“We’re doing this because we want to stop authoritarianism and what they did,” she said. “They are stripping us of our rights.”
“It’s bigger than politics,” she said. “They are deporting our citizens, they are splitting our courts, they cut our social services and gave them to their allies.”
“What you see here is someone who is united and doesn’t want to be ruled,” she said.
They remained on the sidewalk along both sides of the State Highway A1A, with no issues reported except for a few demonstrators who were overcome by the heat.
The barricades lined the road separating the east sidewalk from the street. There was a dissonance in the corner of the car, in response to the indication that was carried by demonstrators that read “squealing to each bullet.” Other signs say, “Make Tacos great again”, there is no king since 1776″ and “The real criminal is in the White House.”
The repeated chant “This is what democracy looks like” exploded from the crowd.
“King John Trump? No,” said Don McCoy, an army veteran who served on Vietnam’s 173rd Airborne Bridge.
“Something says they don’t get the message,” McCoy said. “But this is important.”
The Fort Lauderdale event occurred without any problems, except for a small number of demonstrators experiencing heat issues.
At 1:15pm, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department said, “The demonstrations at A1A and East Sunrise Boulevard concluded. It was a peaceful event with no incidents. Transportation in the area resumed normal flow.”
Four Trump supporters stood on the sidewalk on the other side as protesters marched on the bridge to Trump’s home in Palm Beach as long as the sheriff’s deputies had them do.
On the sidewalk at the midway point of the bridge, the two men said they had appeared to support the president on their birthday, but Trump supporter Thomas Miske said they were happy to see the protesters provide “a little extra motivation” and “entertaining quite a lot of things.”
Like the protesters, Miske said immigration was one of his biggest problems. He believes in deporting criminals, but he is sympathetic to hardworking immigrants with no criminal history and says that deporting them was “too heavy and unthinkable.”
“Criminals, I want to get them out and I want to get them out now,” Miske said. “Other people who work for their families and want a better life. I support them.”
Gabriel Renfoe, who was wearing a Kidlock photo and a t-shirt, agreed.
“I love my country,” he said. “I think President Trump loves this country.”
People were already setting up lawn chairs and beach towels at the Meyer Amphitheater, which was set to gather for the afternoon speeches.
The rally had a relaxed feeling of a music festival, with people sitting on the grass eating snacks, dancing in the grass in front of the stage stage, and children kicking soccer balls. However, attendees said they viewed the president as a free nation as a deep threat to the United States.
“It looks like Trump is about to establish an authoritarian government,” said George Harper, 79, of Boca Raton, sitting on a grassy hill in the shade. “He has all the characteristics of a demagogue.”
“He’s the only one he cares about,” he said. “He’s not really a leader. We’re very frustrated when we watch the news and see what’s going on in our country.
As the crowds gather, vendors sell anti-Trump memorabilia, with revenue heading towards voter registration. One tent sold blue t-shirts saying, “I’m an immigrant,” and blue magga-style hats saying, “America makes America again.”
At Phipps Skate Park, former American history teacher Paulina Palaga said that the main concern on Saturday, non-immigrants, was Trump’s ignorance of legitimate procedures.
“The fact that he really believes he is beyond the law,” she said. “And the fact that he doesn’t respect the Constitution.”
She took her daughter to the law, Tania Bertran, a recent immigrant from Colombia, and Tania’s sister Sara Bertran, who was visiting Colombia. Before heading out on Saturday, they wondered whether Bertran should bring his passport despite being a legal immigrant and Paraga, the daughter of a Colombian immigrant, is a US citizen.
“I’m an immigrant,” Tania Bertran said. “Trump hates immigrants…everyone knows people. They’re more industrious about immigrants. They’re people who do jobs that no one wants to do.”
Organizers gathered protesters at the park and waved tattered American flags in cars on 67-year-old Lamb Homme, Lamb Homme and South Dixie Highway.
“That’s what our country is like now,” he said, referring to the flag. “It’s been beaten, torn apart, and there’s nothing else but the trajectory we’re going to now.”
As the march headed for Mar Arago, three Trump supporters stood on the corner of South Boulevard and Dixie Highway with the “Trump 2028” flag, shouting “Free speech!” “Get out of my country!” and “You guys are so unhappy!”
Sharon Bull, a science teacher in Palm Beach County, attended with her two daughters to protest what she saw as a Trump attack on science and education.
“We have rationally educated citizens who are based on science, fairness and compassion for others, and democracy, and science, and hope for a better tomorrow,” she said.
The boat parade to celebrate Trump’s birthday takes place in the intra-core layer waterways from Jupiter’s Inlet to the annual event Mar-A-Lago.
The demonstration leader promises that the event will be in peace. However, the Republican leader in Florida pointed to violence attending some of the pro-immigration protests in Los Angeles, warning demonstrators that the violence met a positive response.
In an interview with the host of a conservative podcast this week, Gov. Ron Desantis told the driver, “If a mob surrounds your car and threatens you, you have the right to run away for your safety.
Florida Attorney General James Usmieyer warned at a press conference Thursday that anyone mob faces arrest. At the same press conference, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivy warned that violent protesters could face a fatal reaction from law enforcement.
“Throw bricks, throw fire bombs, point guns, and we will inform your family where we will gather your bodies,” he said. “Because we’ll kill the death of your cemetery. We’re not going to play.”
Police agencies in South Florida left a warning with an enhanced street patrol.
Casey Leaning, a police spokesman for Fort Lauderdale, said in a prepared statement that the department was “aware of multiple demonstrations” on Saturday.
“There is a prominent law enforcement presence, and officers will monitor all events closely to ensure the safety of participants, drivers and residents,” Liening said. “We urge participants to report suspicious or creepy activities immediately. Safety is always a top priority.”
West Palm Beach Police said in a statement Friday that residents should “expect significant traffic delays in the downtown area due to the demonstration planned on Saturday, June 14th.” The event is expected to attract large crowds, with some roads likely to be affected by heavier roads.
