Thousands of demonstrators marched down Congress Avenue to protest the Trump administration on Thursday.
Marchers gathered at the Texas Capitol and snaked down the street to Austin City Hall for a rally. The event was organized alongside the national 50501 movement � a coalition of protesters in all 50 states against Trump administration policies on everything from tariffs to the detention and deportation of migrants.
An organizer estimated as many as 3,000 people joined the march. KUT reached out to the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Austin Police Department for a count, but did not hear back before publishing time.
Duncan Cormie, who chairs the board at Austin Mental Health Community, said he didn't have time to make it to the four previous demonstrations organized by 50501. Cormie said the federal government cut a $24,000 grant to the nonprofit “just like that� last week. That means some people “with real mental health crises� could go without services, he said.
“I haven't been on a lot of marches because I'm busy taking care of people,� he said. "But I ran into some people that were heading to the march today, and I was like, ‘Hell yeah, I need to let it out.’�
Cormie said the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s efforts to gut whole agencies at the federal level have left him and others working in the mental health space scrambling amid job cuts at
Outside City Hall, Cat Yuracka said she’s come to most Trump demonstrations in his second term. Yuracka was one of thousands who outside a detention center for minors in Tornillo, Texas during Trump’s first term.
On top of that, Yuracka said she has a trans, teenaged grandchild. For years, Texas lawmakers have pushed to limit gender-affirming care for kids. She said Trump has signaled a similar, federal crackdown on protections for trans Americans.
“I'm terrified for her what kind of world she's going to be left with, and [Lady] Gaga's not going to be around,� she said. “I want [Trump] to know that the majority of Americans � did not vote for this.�
Ahead of his speech at the rally, City Council Member Mike Siegel said he’s heartened by the consistent demonstrations at the local level.
“I think right now what we're feeling here in Austin is that we can't count on the State Capitol for help,� he said. “We can't count on the federal administration for help. And so we have to count on each other.
