5 February 27 - March 5, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | “IKEA HAS BETTER CABINETS” Miami protesters observed Not My President’s Day on February 17. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN P rotesters gathered in downtown Miami on February 17 to protest President Donald Trump’s recent slate of executive orders and tech billionaire Elon Musk’s prominent role in the fed- eral government. As part of the nationwide 50501 (Fifty- Fifty-One) protests on Presidents’ Day, about 80 people assembled along Biscayne Boule- vard at the Torch of Friendship monument in front of Bayfront Park. This is the second wave of nationwide protests organized by the grassroots 50501 movement in response to the Trump administration. “Trump, Trump, go to Hell. The U.S. is not for sale!” the protesters chanted. They followed with another chant, “No Trump; No KKK; no fascist USA!” Protesters expressed their concerns about reproductive rights, immigration, the over- reach of executive power, LGBTQ rights, and fascism. Just down the street, around forty more people participated in a protest orga- nized by the Florida Grassroots Coalition. “I’m here to fight for not only my rights for my future kids if I have future kids, for my friends,” Gabrielle Cubera told New Times. “I appreciate the fact that the older generation is here fighting for me as I am here fighting for myself. I am also fighting for my career. So much is happening that needs to be fought for. History doesn’t need to repeat itself. His- tory should be moving forward so that we can make it better.” Cubera, who is a senior majoring in sci- ence at Florida International University (FIU), said she is disturbed by the federal funding cuts to science and research. “All the cancer re- search, research into autism, into mental health that needs to keep go- ing. We were get- ting somewhere. We’re not supposed to be stopping that.” While several people in cars honked their horns in support of the protesters, one shirt- less man with way too much filler and Botox in his face was riding a Citi Bike as he taunted demonstrators. “Three more years of Trump!” he yelled. “Three more years of Trump!” People waved American flags and held signs that read, “Stop DOGE. Save our constitution,” “Protect TPS,” “Fidel = Trump Dictator,” “Stop Presidents Trusk,” “We didn’t vote 4 Elon,” “I Stand for Democracy!,” and “End the Trump Turd Reich,” among dozens of others. Marilyn Chavez, an emergency room nurse, told New Times she came out to protest for the rights of all people, from military vet- erans to children to women. “My heart goes out to the women and the public has a misconception of abortion and women’s rights,” Chavez said, sporting an American flag bandanna and holding a sign that read, “America Has No King.” “Even the women who want to have babies, they have no control over what their bodies do to them so now to make it illegal, to put them in jail, to tie the hands of the medical professionals who are trying to help them is just insanity. “I have held the hands of women who are miscarrying,” she added. “That’s nature. How are you going to put women in jail and have doctors send women to their cars to die? That’s murderous. This whole is a disas- ter at this point. When are people going to wake up?” [email protected] Protesters gathered in downtown Miami for “The People Versus the President” protest on February 17. Photos by Anna Magluta | METRO | “HISTORY DOESN’T NEED TO REPEAT ITSELF. HISTORY SHOULD BE MOVING FORWARD.”
