St. Augustine Community Converges on Fort in Protest of Trump Administration

By Logan Michael

The historic Castillo De San Marcos is no stranger to large crowds, social unification, and popular dissent.

Just as 1,500 St. Augustine residents crowded the structure’s walls during the first English siege of 1702, today’s St. Augustinians, in similar numbers, peppered themselves across the fort’s vast, vibrant green lawn in opposition to the policies of Trump’s 2^nd administration.

The demonstration held on April 5^th was affiliated with the 50501 movement, a spontaneous, decentralized and diverse network of activists from all 50 states coordinating as many protests as humanely possible on the same day.

St. Augustine’s protest at the fort was organized primarily by the St. Johns County Democrats, and featured speakers affiliated with the county party, in addition to the former mayor of St. Augustine Beach- Andrea Samuels.

While each speaker had different specific gripes with the policies coming out of Washington, they all shared a similar, underlying sentiment: our situation is dire, and people need to do something.

St. Augustine community member and mother Annie Tressler spoke at the podium to decry the republican party’s policy towards education and the LGBTQ+ community.

“Under the guise of parental rights, our schools are being dismantled,” says Tressler.

Just recently, the Florida Government unveiled a budget proposal featuring a 50% cut to educational programs like Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, and others that allow students to gain college credit for free while still in high school.

At the same time, and to the dismay of Tressler and other activist parents, the Florida government has made the removal of DEI initiatives and offices throughout the state’s educational system (K-12 and Public Colleges) a top policy priority.

Seth Campbell was another speaker that raised their own concerns regarding the Trump administration’s new approach to due process and immigration.

“If you can deny due process to someone, you can deny it to anyone,” says Campbell.

Campbell’s concerns come as the Trump administration continues to detain and deport international students for expressing pro-Palestinian political beliefs often without due process, leaving many free speech advocates concerned over further political repression from the White House.

“We can’t keep standing by and make snarky comments on the internet. We have to fight,” says Campbell.

Samuels, the former mayor of the city of St. Augustine Beach, also spoke at the podium, with a poignant, comprehensive message for the current administration and its supporters.

Her criticisms were cast wide, attacking the current trade war, cuts to a plethora of federal agencies, an upsurge in bigotry, and even the state government’s slashing of funding for the arts.

“The things they’re cutting now are things that they’ve been wanting to cut for the last 80 years, and the people they’re alienating now are the people they’ve been alienating for the past 80 years,” says Samuels.

To better understand Samuels’ convictions, when she was asked why exactly she came out on this hot morning, she gave an elaborate answer regarding her perspective on political psychology.

“These people [Trump voters] were firmly entrenched in the republican dogma. They believed he would lower costs, but all he’s done is create inflation,” says Samuels.

“People become aware when it effects them immediately and personally,” says Samuels.

In reference to the federal cuts to public health agencies, Samuels says that “when the rural hospitals close, and when mumps kills their children, that’s when they will get a reaction.”

Samuels goes on to suggest that newcomers to politics, frustrated by the current moment, should find themselves a non-profit to their interest, “find your niche, and go from there.”

“You will find that these nonprofits tend towards, not necessarily being super liberal, but tend towards being human and being kind, and that will lead you to whatever political trail you want to go,” says Samuels.