About 500 people arrived Tuesday evening at Orlando City Hall to protest actions made by President Donald Trump ahead of his inaugural address.
As part of a national movement, hundreds gathered Tuesday evening in front of Orlando City Hall to protest President Donald Trump’s first seven weeks in office.
“This isn't the American dream. What we're in right now is an American nightmare, and something needs to be done about it,” said 30-year-old Orlando resident Amanda Beltzer.
She was among around 500 other protesters who arrived as part of a national organization known as the 50501 Movement, which stands for 50 states, 50 protests, and 1 movement. Similar protests happened around the country as well as other Florida cities including Tampa and Tallahassee. The protests happened ahead of Trump’s address to a Joint Session of Congress Tuesday evening.
Joe Mario Pedersen
/
Central Florida Public Media
A stiltwalker dressed as the Statue of Liberty strides through the courtyard Tuesday evening in front of Orlando City Hall during the 50501 Movement protest in response to President Donald Trump's executive actions.
Beltzer hasn’t been to protest since the women’s march in 2017. But she felt compelled to come out to the 50501 Movement after the federal cuts to government programs and National Parks as well as policies and rhetoric aimed against transgender people.
“I don't see how anybody can see what is going on and not see it as a direct attack on the American people,” Beltzer said. “And I think that more people should be angry, more people should be upset, and people should be stepping up and showing up at their city halls and showing that this isn't what we stand for as a country.”
Her attitude is exactly the sense of fire that 50501 organizers were hoping to stoke. Jude Speegle is one of those organizers. Speegle, of Daytona, said the protests invited as many different types of people and movements as possible to unite under one banner.
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About 500 people from around Central Florida arrived Tuesday evening in front of Orlando City Hall as part of a protest organized by the 50501 Movement. Protesters cited many concerns including President Donald Trump's attitude and policies on DEI, undocumented immigrants, transgender people, the war in Ukraine, and the future of Gaza.
Joe Mario Pedersen / Central Florida Public Media
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(Left center) Lisa Bishop, of Lake County, sits with her friend Linda Vega, of Winter Garden, Tuesday evening at Orlando City Hall as part of the 50501 Movement protest. Both women voiced concerns regarding women's rights, DEI, and the activities of the Department of Government Efficiency.
Joe Mario Pedersen / Central Florida Public Media
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About 500 people from around Central Florida arrived Tuesday evening in front of Orlando City Hall as part of a protest organized by the 50501 Movement. Protesters cited many concerns including President Donald Trump's attitude and policies on DEI, undocumented immigrants, transgender people, the war in Ukraine, and the future of Gaza.
Joe Mario Pedersen / Central Florida Public Media
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About 500 people from around Central Florida arrived Tuesday evening in front of Orlando City Hall as part of a protest organized by the 50501 Movement. Protesters cited many concerns including President Donald Trump's attitude and policies on DEI, undocumented immigrants, transgender people, the war in Ukraine, and the future of Gaza.
Joe Mario Pedersen / Central Florida Public Media
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About 500 people from around Central Florida arrived Tuesday evening in front of Orlando City Hall as part of a protest organized by the 50501 Movement. Protesters cited many concerns including President Donald Trump's attitude and policies on DEI, undocumented immigrants, transgender people, the war in Ukraine, and the future of Gaza.
Joe Mario Pedersen / Central Florida Public Media
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Amanda Beltzer, of Orlando, arrived Tuesday morning at Orlando City Hall to protest against President Donald Trump and his actions against the transgender community and the federal cuts to national parks. She arrived as part of the 50501 Movement, which organized protests across the country Tuesday ahead of Trump's address to a joint session of Congress
Joe Mario Pedersen / Central Florida Public Media
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About 500 people from around Central Florida arrived Tuesday evening in front of Orlando City Hall as part of a protest organized by the 50501 Movement. Protesters cited many concerns including President Donald Trump's attitude and policies on DEI, undocumented immigrants, transgender people, the war in Ukraine, and the future of Gaza.
Joe Mario Pedersen / Central Florida Public Media
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About 500 people from around Central Florida arrived Tuesday evening in front of Orlando City Hall as part of a protest organized by the 50501 Movement. Protesters cited many concerns including President Donald Trump's attitude and policies on DEI, undocumented immigrants, transgender people, the war in Ukraine, and the future of Gaza.
Joe Mario Pedersen / Central Florida Public Media
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About 500 people from around Central Florida arrived Tuesday evening in front of Orlando City Hall as part of a protest organized by the 50501 Movement. Protesters cited many concerns including President Donald Trump's attitude and policies on DEI, undocumented immigrants, transgender people, the war in Ukraine, and the future of Gaza.
Joe Mario Pedersen / Central Florida Public Media
“This protest is a type of protest for people that may not have been involved in protesting, may not have been involved in their local community organizations, maybe not even vote. Maybe have voted differently in the past. We want them to know that it's okay to change their mind now and to step up,” Speegle said.
For him, he’s most concerned with how much power has been given to unelected billionaire Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
“We, the people, didn't elect a specific billionaire to be up in the White House having access to our sensitive data, sending emails out to federal workers demanding to know what they're doing,” Speegle said.
About half a dozen presenters spoke during the protest about a wide array of topics including the rolling back of DEI, undocumented immigrants, transgender people, the war in Ukraine, and the future of Gaza.
Originally from South Florida, Joe Mario came to Orlando to attend the University of Central Florida where he graduated with degrees in Radio & Television Production, Film, and Psychology. He worked several beats and covered multimedia at The Villages Daily Sun but returned to the City Beautiful as a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel where he covered crime, hurricanes, and viral news. Joe Mario has too many interests and not enough time but tries to focus on his love for strange stories in comic books and horror movies. When he's not writing he loves to run in his spare time.
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