Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Trump, protests back in S. Florida
First visit as president brings crowd to Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH — Amid shouts of “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go,” an estimated crowd of more than 3,000 protesters began marching from Trump Plaza Saturday evening. Their final destination? Mar-aLago, where President Trump arrived Friday for his first visit to his Palm Beach estate since being sworn in as the nation’s 45th president.
The signs the protesters carried were as varied as the controversies that have plagued the first days of the Trump administration.
“Climate Change Is Real,” read one.
“I stand with my Muslim neighbors,” read another.
“My Body My Choice,” a third declared.
One sign listed a half-dozen issues before ending, “#GonnaNeedABiggerSign.”
A flag-draped coffin preceded the protesters along the water next to Olive Street in downtown West Palm Beach, but progress was slow as the throng attempted to navigate the walkway.
Before the walk kicked off at 5 p.m., police estimated the crowd at 1,000 people, but raised that to around 3,000 at evening’s end. Police reported no arrests.
“We need to show strength that we don’t support his policies and we have to stand up and do something,” said Kelley Whiter, a volunteer with South Florida Activism, which organized the march along with Women’s March Florida.
Whiter wore a yellow neon vest and directed traffic. She said her job was to keep the crowd moving and prevent confrontations with counterprotesters.
The crowd marched down Roosevelt, past mansions, a few water stations and groups of protesters who stood along the side, cheering the crowd along.
At Bingham Island, a group of about 50 Trump supporters waited to greet the march.
“I’m here to support Donald Trump,” said Kevin Rebal of Pompano Beach. “We got all these protesters coming, but I don’t care about them. I care about Trump.”
As the protesters began to march by, he shouted out, “Welcome to Trump Street!”
Despite initial reports that the road to Palm Beach would be shut down at Bingham Island, halfway across the Intracoastal, protesters were allowed to gather in front of Mar-a-Lago until just after 8 p.m., when police barricaded the road just east of the island. The Secret Service barred vehicle traffic into south Palm Beach except for hotel guests and residents.
The International Red Cross was having its charity gala at Mara-Lago as the march went on. The protests have drawn unwelcome attention to the event; the Red Cross works a great deal with refugees, so Trump’s ban had some calling for the Red Cross to nix the ball. But that would have meant losing thousands of dollars, both money raised at the gala and nonrefundable fees paid to Mar-aLago.
According to the Associated Press, a permit for the gala says 500 people were expected to attend and that the event would raise $925,000 and cost about $400,000 to put on.
The idea for the march started with a local activist named Stephen Milo, who envisioned a few hundred people peacefully marching from Trump Plaza to Mar-a-Lago. But more than 2,000 people said they would attend when he posted the event on Facebook, and he canceled, citing security concerns.
But those who had already planned to march to Mar-a-Lago were not about to let a little thing like the march being canceled stand in their way. Instead, organizers of the local chapter of the Women’s March, which took place the day after Inauguration Day in Washington, D.C., and other cities around the world, took up the torch along with South Florida Activism.
“The other gentleman who set it up had noble intentions, but I don’t think he realized how big it would get,” said Luis Garcia, a retired firefighter, who was participating in the march as a volunteer marshal, keeping people peaceful and on the sidewalks.
Garcia said he had first aid equipment, granola bars and “two backpacks filled with frozen water” to distribute to the sweaty masses. “My main goal is to directly communicate with police commanders on scene” to report violent agitators or medical emergencies, he said.