‘America has not lost its soul:’ Hundreds protest against Donald Trump in Casselberry

CASSELBERRY, Fla. – Hundreds of protesters gathered at the intersection of S.R. 436 and Howell Branch Road in Casselberry Thursday, just one of the nationwide protests dubbed “No Kings.”

The event was peaceful, with demonstrators waving signs and chanting criticisms of what they describe as executive overreach by President Donald Trump.

“We have to stand up to a president that’s taking power from Congress and from us. And if we don’t stand up now it might be too late,” said one protester, who held a sign amid the crowd.

Kristen Mateer, another demonstrator, expressed specific concerns about constitutional violations.

“It’s the loss of due process and not following the constitution, and then bringing the military into that,” Mateer said.

[To see more video from Casselberry’s “No Kings” protest, see below]

Another protester, draped in an American flag, agreed with those concerns.

“People losing their rights, people not having due process the constitution is completely being violated left and right,” she said when asked why she decided to protest.

Vivianna, whose parents immigrated from Mexico, explained that her family is being affected by harsh immigration laws and enforcement.

“There’s people in my family that are not leaving their homes out of fear of being racially profiled. I have aunts and uncles being stopped at the grocery store to prove identification, just based off the color of their skin,” she said.

Vivianna was moved to tears as passing cars honked in solidarity.

“Hearing these cars drive by honking makes me a little bit more hopeful vs sitting at home and feeling like nobody’s listening and no one cares about us, so it’s pretty powerful,” she said.

Dylan Kelly of Seminole County Democrats says the size of the protest outside a major city shows the popularity of their cause.

“This is Seminole County, Florida. This is a suburb of the larger city of Orlando which is likely going to have a much bigger protest coming out. I think that should say something,” Kelly said. “People all over the United States of America are sick of this. It’s not just the cities. It’s not just the little blue fortresses where the people vote Democratic. It’s everywhere.”

Bernajean Porter, another protester at the event, taught history for decades and participated in protests against the Vietnam War and during the Civil Rights Movement. She said the amount of peaceful protestors who showed up in Casselberry give her hope.

“To be out here, it’s really affirming that America has not lost its soul. We’re here and we’re speaking up and it’s going to get bigger and bigger until they’re gone,” Porter said.

The Seminole County Democratic Party estimated 1,800 people attended the protest.