Hundreds of people gathered outside City Hall Saturday for a Hands Off rally in conjunction with 50501, a loosely organized nationwide group named for its practice of 50 protests in 50 states for one movement.
Many causes were championed in the diverse crowd, with one unifying principle: opposition to President Trump’s policies.
There were people dressed in Handmaid’s Tale frocks, and others wearing t-shirts bearing the faces of men who were deported to CECOT prison in El Salvador. There were pups with “Dogs against DOGE” on their collars. And hundreds of anti-Trump signs being waved at drivers, some of whom honked their support in time with the frequent chants and Spanish music.
Among the crowd was Erica Peterson, a Daytona-based vegan chef who regularly donates extra food and drink where needed. She was wearing a Pride flag like a superhero cape and pulling a giant ice-packed cooler on wheels stuffed with cold drinks, which she distributed through the crowd for free in the Orlando heat.
“I just want to show some kindness and empathy,” she said. “I’ve got a whole bunch – a ton – of rights that are at stake here, and I know a lot of people having money being taken away right now, so this is dire. The state of our country is really bad, and we need to come together.”
Nearby was Trevor Hall, Jr., a commercial real estate broker with 50 years in the business. He calls himself fiscally conservative and socially open-minded. He said economics brought him out to the protest.
“I’m predicting a real correction here as a result of the tariffs and all the job cuts and all the agencies that they are doing away with, like NOAA,” Hall said. “I call it the negative multiplier, because if the wealthy get the money, they’re not going to spend it.”
Tonya Jones was winding through the crowd, leading chants. She's the founder of 50501 Orlando Hispanic, a sister organization to 50501 Orlando. She helped plan Saturday’s event.
She said although she’s also part of 50501 Orlando as well, she formed the two-week-old Hispanic affiliate because “sixty percent of our people voted for Trump. So those of us who are safe to do so should come out and protest, and get involved.”
“We need more melanated people out here,” she laughed.
Anger was also simmering in the crowd over Mayor Buddy Dyer’s partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which allows local officers to assist or act as ICE agents.
One protester used a bullhorn to shout out Dyer’s phone number to the crowd, encouraging a flood of calls urging him to end cooperation with ICE.
City officials have said that cooperation with ICE is a requirement due to certain federal and state laws, as well as funding issues.
On Saturday, one sign near a crosswalk seemed to spell out the group’s next steps: “We can do this every weekend.”
