JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With Vice President Kamala Harris visiting Jacksonville Wednesday, it was expected there would be big crowds of protesters. While the groups weren’t necessarily huge, there were still people who gathered outside the Prime Osborn Convention Center to take a stand on more than just abortion.
One of the largest groups that gathered outside was formed of pro-Palestinian people. Just a short distance away from that group, there was a handful of people with signs against abortion.
One of them was Michael Anderson.
“Just to counteract anything the Vice President has to say. She’s pro-abortion. She’s pro-death and we’re pro-life,” Anderson said. “I just wanted to bring investors of life and hope.”
Anderson explained why he thinks showing up matters.
“Not doing anything will definitely not make a difference, you just let evil advance,” Anderson said.
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News4JAX did not see anyone with signs outside or chanting in support of abortion rights. They were inside with the vice president.
Some people also had something to say about the economy.
“Abortion is an important subject, but also the economy is something that really affects everybody. So, Bidenomics is not working,” Natalie Dryer, with Americans for Prosperity, said.
Circling around the convention center was also a billboard truck sponsored by Senator Rick Scott. The billboard attacked Harris and the president about immigration reform, pointing out the death of a Georgia woman who was killed earlier this year.
But where the shouts were mainly coming from was the pro-Palestinian group.
“We believe that the White House has the authority to end this genocide and has chosen not to. And so, Kamala Harris is complicit in that. Now, we know that Kamala is here to talk about reproductive justice. But we believe that reproductive justice applies to Palestinians as well,” Ryan Delaney with the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network said.
News4JAX observed the demonstrations were peaceful and no one was arrested. Meanwhile, all sides said it was important to be there and be seen.
“It’s easy to think we’re just one gear in a big machine. But what happens when you pull one gear out of the big machine, it stops working quite the right way,” Delaney said.