Jacksonville resident Shari Balsamo, 54, yells her support with speakers in Bo Diddley Plaza on Monday at the “What Makes a President” Rally. Balsamo said she is “terrified” of the Affordable Care Act being repealed and defunding programs like Medicare, which her father requires to treat his Parkinson’s disease. (Emma Green/ WUFT News)
On President’s Day, community members gathered at the Bo Diddley Plaza to protest President Trump's administration.
The organizer of the “What Makes A President” Rally, Genevieve Murphy, a 32-year-old lab technician, said she was fed up with the new administration.
“I did not like where this country was going,” she said.
Approximately 50 people showed up with civil rights signs, Clinton earrings and anti-Trump buttons.
Murphy, who planned the rally about a week ago, said she was thrilled with the turnout for her first event.
From left to right: Retired school administrators James Scaglione, 72, and Constance Scaglione, 67, listen to the organizer of the “What Makes A President” Rally in Bo Diddley Plaza on Monday. “We’re opposed to everything Trump has done so far,” Constance said. “I think his treatment of immigrants is inhumane.” (Emma Green/ WUFT News)
Nurses Lillian (left), who chose not to give her last name, 61, and Marsha Hesany, 59, cheer while holding signs advocating for women’s rights at Bo Diddley Plaza on Monday during the “What Makes a President” Rally. The pair brought their signs from the Women’s March in Washington. (Emma Green/ WUFT News)
Marsha Hesany, a 59-year-old nurse wearing Hillary Clinton earrings, chants at the “What Makes A President” Rally in Bo Diddley Plaza downtown on Monday. “I marched for the ERA (Equal Rights Act) in ’82,” the activist said. “We didn’t think we’d have to do this again,” she said, referring to protesting for women’s rights. (Emma Green/ WUFT News)
Janet Suggs, a 57-year-old caregiver, raises her “PRESERVE ACA MEDICARE SS” sign, advocating for the preservation of the Affordable Care Act, which President Trump said he plans to repeal. (Emma Green/ WUFT News)
Activists protest President Trump and his administration in the lawn at Bo Diddley Plaza on Monday for the “What Makes A President” Rally. About 50 people attended the rally to share their personal stories of being affected by the president’s policies and show support for family members and friends. (Emma Green/ WUFT News)
Jacksonville resident Shari Balsamo, 54, yells her support with speakers in Bo Diddley Plaza on Monday at the rally. Balsamo said she is “terrified” of the Affordable Care Act being repealed and defunding programs like Medicare, which her father requires to treat his Parkinson’s disease. (Emma Green/ WUFT News)
An amputee for 43 years due to bone cancer taking her leg at age 12, Stephanie Woodworth, 55, emphasizes the importance of the Affordable Care Act in covering some of the cost of her prosthetic leg on Monday. “A limb is not a luxury. We’ve had to fight to be a quote unquote human being,” she said, referring to the high cost of her prosthetic, a necessity for her. (Emma Green/ WUFT News)
After traveling from Jacksonville to attend the “What Makes A President” Rally in Bo Diddley Plaza in Gainesville Monday, Shari Balsamo, 54, sings the national anthem. She wanted to attend the anti-Trump rally as a birthday gift to herself and to speak up for three of her family members who would be affected by the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. (Emma Green/ WUFT News)
John Legler, a 70-year-old retired medical worker, sings “We Shall Overcome” on the corner of University Avenue and East 1st Street in downtown Gainesville Monday. He and about 15 others held signs and protested President Trump and his administration at the intersection after the rally at Bo Diddley Plaza. (Emma Green/ WUFT News)
Marcela Mulholland, a 19-year-old UF sustainability studies and political science sophomore, raises her fist against President Trump’s administration during the “What Makes A President” Rally downtown on Monday. “I’m minoring in resisting the Trump agenda,” the activist said. (Emma Green/ WUFT News)