Burk Burnett Park downtown (501 W 7th St) will be the site of a peaceful march for democracy and protest against the Donald Trump administration noon-4pm Sat. There will be speakers, live music, and a voter registration drive, and at 3pm in the northwest corner of the park, protesters will host an empty chair town hall. Trump-supporting Rep. Craig Goldman has been invited, but as local musician/writer Ken Shimamoto has documented on social media over the past few days, Goldman is a hard man to pin down. Protesters also will march to the nearby Fort Worth Club, where Goldman allegedly offices, and effect a visual display outside the assuredly locked front doors.
The still-growing list of speakers includes the Justice Network of Tarrant County, Northwest Progressive, LGBTQ Saves, Let Ladies Lead, and League of Women Voters.
The protest is organized by Indivisible 12, Indivisible FWA (Fort Worth Area), and 50-50-1, three progressive local groups. Nearly 100 marchers rallied at the Tesla dealership off North University Drive last Saturday as tens of thousands of protesters in 1,200 cities and towns across the country participated in the national Hands Off campaign. Fort Worth missed the party due to innocent permit issues. The decision to gather at the dealership was reached in objection to the carmaker’s owner, Elon Musk, who has been responsible for the loss of thousands of government jobs, among other tragedies.
“Reaction from the folks driving by was great!” one participant said. “Lots of cars honking, people yelling support and waving.”
Local Hands Off protests happened in Arlington, Denton, Dallas, Frisco, Burleson, and Flower Mound. There were no reports of any major problems locally or nationally.
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Photo by Sabrina Ball
