Brevard County anti-Trump protesters take to Cocoa streets over Easter weekend
By Lillian Hernández Caraballo
April 21, 2025 at 10:34 AM EDT
Over Easter weekend, a group of Brevard County protesters took to the intersection of U.S. Highway 1 and State Road 520, locally known as West King Street, to demonstrate against President Donald Trump’s administration and its policies.
At its peak, the Saturday afternoon protest saw nearly 1,000 locals at the Cocoa landmark, just beneath the city’s water tower. Demonstrators spoke out against changes and orders from the federal government that, they said, were uncalled for, unfair, or violated basic human rights.
The event was spearheaded by grassroots organizations, such as Brevard Democrats and Awake Brevard. Candi Joosten and her wife Candice, known as “The Candies,” are with Awake Brevard.
Candice said their goal is to gather like-minded people in a largely Republican area. Trump won Brevard county by 20 points in 2024.
“To let people know that, even though we're in a very red county, you're not alone, and you don't have to stay silent, and you don't have to be meek. You can be out here because there's like-minded people. You don't have to be scared because we’re here, and we're not going anywhere,” she said.
Candi said she knows this event won’t drive policy change, but it was still important to have it.
“That's one of the big things. Protests, they don't really do much, except you're making a stand. You're taking a stand against all the wrongs that are happening,” she said.
Over Easter weekend, a group of Brevard County protesters took to the intersection of U.S. Highway 1 and State Road 520, locally known as West King Street, to demonstrate against President Donald Trump’s administration and its policies.
Candice Joosteen of Awake Brevard shares why these rallies matter. (506x804, AR: 0.6293532338308457)
At its peak, the Saturday afternoon protest saw nearly 1,000 locals at the Cocoa landmark, just beneath the city’s water tower. Demonstrators spoke out against changes and orders from the federal government that, they said, were uncalled for, unfair, or violated basic human rights.
The event was spearheaded by grassroots organizations, such as Brevard Democrats and Awake Brevard. Candi Joosten and her wife Candice, known as “The Candies,” are with Awake Brevard. Candice said their goal is to gather like-minded people in a largely Republican area.
Trump won Brevard county by 20 points in 2024.
“To let people know that, even though we're in a very red county, you're not alone, and you don't have to stay silent, and you don't have to be meek. You can be out here because there's like-minded people. You don't have to be scared because we’re here, and we're not going anywhere,” she said.
Candi said she knows this event won’t drive policy change, but it was still important to have it.
“That's one of the big things. Protests, they don't really do much, except you're making a stand. You're taking a stand against all the wrongs that are happening,” she said.
The Candies said this is not their first protest since the President’s inauguration, but it was their biggest turnout yet. They said they believe Trump’s increasingly alarming and harmful decisions will inspire more people to join and unite -- from both sides of the aisle.
The crowd wrapped down and around both sides of each road, covering an area of about half a square mile. Only a handful of cars antagonized the crowd, shouting obscenities and expressing their support for the President. A majority of people driving by honked and cheered loudly, showing they sided with the crowd.
Community outreach volunteer and local organizer Anna Dahl said this is her first protest she attends and that she was happy to show up for her community.
“It's important for me to be here. I understand some people may not be impacted by the current administration and the decisions they're making, but it is impacting people that I love and care about. So I need to be surrounded with like-minded people and share what our experiences are like, so we can support each other to get through this together,” she said.
Organizers called the protest a success and said they felt energized and that they expect to see bigger numbers in future rallies. They invite people from all parties and ideologies to stand with them.
Some messages at the rally included anti-capitalist and pro-healthcare rights rhetoric. (4000x3000, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
Lillian Hernández Caraballo is a Report for America corps member.
At its peak, the Saturday afternoon protest saw nearly 1,000 locals at the Cocoa landmark, just beneath the city’s water tower. Demonstrators spoke out against changes and orders from the federal government that, they said, were uncalled for, unfair, or violated basic human rights.
The event was spearheaded by grassroots organizations, such as Brevard Democrats and Awake Brevard. Candi Joosten and her wife Candice, known as “The Candies,” are with Awake Brevard.
Candice said their goal is to gather like-minded people in a largely Republican area. Trump won Brevard county by 20 points in 2024.
“To let people know that, even though we're in a very red county, you're not alone, and you don't have to stay silent, and you don't have to be meek. You can be out here because there's like-minded people. You don't have to be scared because we’re here, and we're not going anywhere,” she said.
Candi said she knows this event won’t drive policy change, but it was still important to have it.
“That's one of the big things. Protests, they don't really do much, except you're making a stand. You're taking a stand against all the wrongs that are happening,” she said.
Over Easter weekend, a group of Brevard County protesters took to the intersection of U.S. Highway 1 and State Road 520, locally known as West King Street, to demonstrate against President Donald Trump’s administration and its policies.
Candice Joosteen of Awake Brevard shares why these rallies matter. (506x804, AR: 0.6293532338308457)
At its peak, the Saturday afternoon protest saw nearly 1,000 locals at the Cocoa landmark, just beneath the city’s water tower. Demonstrators spoke out against changes and orders from the federal government that, they said, were uncalled for, unfair, or violated basic human rights.
The event was spearheaded by grassroots organizations, such as Brevard Democrats and Awake Brevard. Candi Joosten and her wife Candice, known as “The Candies,” are with Awake Brevard. Candice said their goal is to gather like-minded people in a largely Republican area.
Trump won Brevard county by 20 points in 2024.
“To let people know that, even though we're in a very red county, you're not alone, and you don't have to stay silent, and you don't have to be meek. You can be out here because there's like-minded people. You don't have to be scared because we’re here, and we're not going anywhere,” she said.
Candi said she knows this event won’t drive policy change, but it was still important to have it.
“That's one of the big things. Protests, they don't really do much, except you're making a stand. You're taking a stand against all the wrongs that are happening,” she said.
The Candies said this is not their first protest since the President’s inauguration, but it was their biggest turnout yet. They said they believe Trump’s increasingly alarming and harmful decisions will inspire more people to join and unite -- from both sides of the aisle.
The crowd wrapped down and around both sides of each road, covering an area of about half a square mile. Only a handful of cars antagonized the crowd, shouting obscenities and expressing their support for the President. A majority of people driving by honked and cheered loudly, showing they sided with the crowd.
Community outreach volunteer and local organizer Anna Dahl said this is her first protest she attends and that she was happy to show up for her community.
“It's important for me to be here. I understand some people may not be impacted by the current administration and the decisions they're making, but it is impacting people that I love and care about. So I need to be surrounded with like-minded people and share what our experiences are like, so we can support each other to get through this together,” she said.
Organizers called the protest a success and said they felt energized and that they expect to see bigger numbers in future rallies. They invite people from all parties and ideologies to stand with them.
Some messages at the rally included anti-capitalist and pro-healthcare rights rhetoric. (4000x3000, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
Lillian Hernández Caraballo is a Report for America corps member.