Over the past week or so, protests have erupted in several major American cities over an immigration-related executive order from President Donald Trump that many say unfairly targets Muslims.
On Tuesday, Jacksonville residents took their turn making their voices heard.
Jacksonville Progressive Coalition organized a “No Human is Illegal” rally in front of the Duval County Courthouse, aimed at giving a voice to Jax residents who are frustrated by the actions of the new commander-in-chief. The protest later continued at City Hall.
It all comes just a day after the city’s mayor, Lenny Curry, came out in support of the order that’s being referred to by many as a “Muslim ban.”
Here's the statement Mayor Curry's office sent us re: Trump's #MuslimBan. What do YOU think? pic.twitter.com/pa7quH2jth
— The Coastal (@thecoastaljax) January 30, 2017
The executive order in question suspended the admission of refugees into the U.S. for 120 days, and placed extreme limits on immigration from seven countries with predominantly Muslim populations.
The order has quickly become one of the country’s most divisive issues. We even lost a few followers on Facebook yesterday just for posting Mayor Curry’s response, and for using the hashtag #MuslimBan.
The outrage reached its peak when several U.S. citizens were detained at airports across the country, despite assurances from the Trump administration that no citizens would be affected.
Over a thousand people indicated interest in the protest on its Facebook event page, and well over a hundred were at the courthouse when we dropped by.
Here are some of the sights and sounds of the “No Human is Illegal” protest:
The crowd was reasonably sized, with around 150 people there when we passed through.
Protesters’ signs featured messages of love and compassion alongside strong critiques of the Trump administration.
There were even a few Trump supporters on hand for a counter-protest. They mostly just shouted “you lost” and “we won” repetitively during the time we spent there.
We’re proud of the people of Jacksonville for making their voices heard – on both sides of the argument – and we hope that this passion continues for the battles our community and country face in the future.
