Number of protesters grows at state Capitol demonstration against extreme Trump administration actions
More than 400 people gathered for the protest rally in Jackson to express their objections to what they viewed as extremist policies and orders issued by President Donald Trump
Illegal kidnappings and deportations, dangerous economic policies and the violation of democratic norms by the Trump administration were front and center during the latest in a series of protests at the Mississippi Capitol on Saturday, April 19.
More than 400 people gathered for the protest rally in Jackson to express their objections to what they viewed as extremist policies and orders issued by President Donald Trump.
“We will not want to live [under] a tyrant government, so we will start our own revolution,” Terry Rogers, the student government president of Tougaloo College, told the crowd from the protest stage.
Rogers, who began his speech by chanting, “No justice, no peace,” launched into a summary of Mississippi history, arguing that 250 years after the American Revolution, U.S. citizens will not tolerate living in a tyrannical state.
The rally was organized by the Mississippi chapter of the 50501 movement, which calls for 50 protests in 50 states on a single day. Though still comparatively small, Mississippi’s protest effort has increased in numbers as the president’s approval ratings have plummeted and public concern over his policies has grown.
Previous protests were held in the state capital and other cities around the state on Feb. 5, Feb. 17, March 4 and April 5. A few counter-protesters had confronted demonstrators at the April 5 rally in Jackson and were escorted away by Capitol Police, but no such confrontations occurred during the April 19 event.
Among those who spoke at this rally were educators and veterans including Bill Gray, who criticized the administration’s attempts to subvert the constitutional separation of powers, and Paula Merchant, a veteran and teacher who shared her story as an immigrant who came to the United States as a child with limited understanding of the language and customs. Merchant told the crowd said she had worked hard to become a naturalized citizen. “I was given my right to stand before a judge,” she said. “Undocumented does not mean illegal.”
After the first round of speakers, the protesters marched around the Capitol building, waving U.S. flags and homemade signs expressing demands and grievances. Afterward, more speakers took to the stage.
During a series of post-protest interviews, Pam Johnson, a 72-year-old consultant in government relations, shared her thoughts on the nation’s current moment.
“I don’t think people expected it to be as bad as it turned out to be,” Johnson said. “I think I am most disappointed that he [the president] has smart people around him, but they’re not stopping him.”
Joseph Fitzpatrick, who described himself as a retired goat herder, said this was his third protest. He criticized the administration’s trade tariffs, claiming their implementation is the worst decision the current administration has so far made.
“The job market shifted, and people don’t want these jobs where they have to make clothes and shoes, and it would take eight to 10 years to make factories in America, and you wouldn’t be able to make the materials as cheaply in this country,” Fitzpatrick said. He also addressed the illegal deportation of non-citizens, saying, “There’s no due process. They’re being shipped out in the middle of the night without a court order.”
The next 50501 Mississippi protest is scheduled for noon on May 1, also at the Mississippi Capitol Building in downtown Jackson. The movement is being organized through social media platforms using the hashtag #50501.
Image: Protesters march around the state Capitol in Jackson (Levon Campbell III)
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