Leaders of the Women’s March are encouraging Americans to join the “Free America Walkout,” a nationwide protest against President Donald Trump’s domestic policies, on Tuesday.
Six events are planned in Tampa Bay that day, which marks the anniversary of Trump’s second inauguration. The nationwide walkout is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Eastern time, though some local events are planned at different hours.
“One year into Trump’s second regime, we face an escalating fascist threat: ICE raids on our communities, troops occupying our cities, families torn apart, attacks on our trans siblings, mass surveillance, and terror used to keep us silent,” the organizers’ website reads. “It is time for our communities to escalate as well.”
The website asks participants to “walk out of work, school, and commerce” to demonstrate a “walk away from fascism” and toward “a Free America.”
Here’s where protests are planned in Tampa, St. Petersburg, St. Pete Beach and Pasco County on Tuesday, according to the website:
St. Petersburg: 6015 19th St. N., 2-5 p.m.
Land O’ Lakes: 22829 State Road 54, 3-5 p.m.
Zephyrhills: Alice Hall Community Center, 38116 Fifth Ave., 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Gulfport: 5501 27th Ave. S., 2-3:30 p.m.
St. Pete Beach: Pass-a-Grille Beach, 2-6 p.m.
A virtual option instructs participants to “walk out on spending” by buying essentials only from small, local businesses on Tuesday.
The national temperature is already high after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a Minneapolis woman, Renee Good, earlier this month.
Protesters gathered for two days outside the Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park earlier this week as the hotel hosted a recruiting event for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Many protesters said Good’s death spurred them to turn out.
Police arrested two people during the second day of protests at the hotel, charging them with trespassing and other offenses.