COLUMBIA — There were protests in all 50 states on Presidents’ Day, and hundreds of people who don’t like the Trump government gathered on the Statehouse lawn.
Monday at exactly 1:00 p.m., they all began shouting, “This is what democracy looks like.”
They had a lot of complaints. A group of about 400 people yelled, booed, and showed other signs of having many problems with President Donald Trump, who took office four weeks ago. Some of these were the power of tech billionaire Elon Musk, the attempts to shrink the government by Musk’s temporary Department of Government Efficiency, Trump’s decision to take away protections for transgender students and military personnel, and his many other executive orders.
They also said that South Carolina’s Republicans on Capitol Hill were wrong for backing Trump’s plans. There is only one Democrat from South Carolina in Congress.
Even though police were there, they didn’t contact with the peaceful protesters. There were also no protesters to the side.
“I just want to hold our elected officials responsible for what they say they will do for our people,” 40-year-old teacher Amy Dupuis told the SC Daily Gazette.
“So bad, even shy people are here” was written on Dupuis’s sign.
The access that Trump gave Musk was her main worry. Second on her list was the future of schooling.
The person is from Ladson and works as a math teacher in the Dorchester 2 School District. She is worried about her job and K–12 education in general if Trump does what he says he wants to do, which is break up the U.S. Department of Education. However, Congress would have to agree to this first. The school where she works gets government money to help poor students go to school, just like almost all schools in the state.
The state income and Fiscal Affairs Office says the Summerville-based district will get about $23 million from the federal government this school year. That’s about 6% of its total income.
Dupuis said that she is especially worried about protecting Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This law says that businesses that get government money can’t treat people with disabilities badly.
South Carolina is one of 17 states led by Republicans that sued in September to make the civil rights law illegal after it was changed by the Biden administration to include “gender identity disorders.”
Dupuis said, “It would be terrible to see that thrown out.”
Attorney General Alan Wilson said last week in a statement that he fully supports Section 504 accommodations and only wants the part about gender confusion taken away. Not long after being sworn in, Trump signed an order that took away the disability designation for “gender identity disorders.” After that order, the case was put on hold.
Friends of Peace and Progress in South Carolina helped get the word out about the event at the Statehouse through social media. The protest was part of a bigger plan called “No Kings.” It was put together by a group called the 50501 campaign, which stands for “50 protests, 50 states, one movement.”
A flyer that went around social media also told people about protests in Myrtle Beach and Greenville.
This was the second protest at the Statehouse this month that was put together by Peace and Progress. On February 5, the first was more specifically against Project 2025, a 900-plus-page book made by the right think tank Heritage Foundation as a plan for changing the way the federal government works. It was also part of 50501.
Monday’s crowd was much bigger than the one 12 days ago. This one was held on a state and federal holiday and a nice, sunny day, which helped.
“There are a lot more people than we thought,” the rally’s co-organizer, Blake Justice of Columbia, told the SC Daily Gazette.
There were speakers from local political groups, faith groups, and one Richland County lawmaker.
Bauer, who beat a Republican in 2022 and kept her seat in a rerun last November, said, “Not everyone with a ‘D’ next to their name is great.”
Some people in the crowd said they used to be Republicans.
Barbara Bates, a housewife from Goose Creek who is 78 years old, was there with her husband Bill, who is also 78 years old and used to be a master chief in the Navy Submarines. Her daughter Stacie Arcomona, 54, and two friends were also there.
A sign that said “Graham!” was held by Barbara Bates on Monday. Scott! Hit! “You work for US!” It said “IMPEACH TRUMP!” on Bill Bates’ sign. There was also “DITCH D.O.G.E.” on Arcomona’s.
The three people said they used to be on the Berkeley County GOP.
While Barbara Bates voted for Trump in 2016, she did not do so again in 2020. Bill Bates backed Trump in 2016 and again in 2020. He said, “I was stupid.” Before choosing for Biden in 2020, Arcomona didn’t vote for President in 2016.
The whole family went for Kamala Harris this year. The two men told the SC Daily Gazette that they no longer see themselves as Republicans. At the same time, Barbara Bates said she is still a Republican, but she doesn’t back the current president.
She said, “The party left me.”
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