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Miami Protests NOAA and FEMA Cuts [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-06-09
It does not always take great numbers to gather a good deal of attention. Protests against federal cuts to NOAA and FEMA near the Frost Science Museum in Downtown had about 13 demonstrators [including myself]. Yet, the event sponsored by Miami Indivisible was able to get coverage multiple times on CBS News Miami (coverage before the protest & coverage of the protest).
The voices that showed up to protest were relevant to the demonstration: a couple of marine biologists, John Cortinas a former NOAA employee who retired due to federal cuts, and Andy Hazelton a NOAA probationary employee who was fired under the DOGE cuts. The concerns of these scientists are multiple, but one of the issues emphasized is that without sufficient NOAA funding, Americans will be less prepared for hurricanes due to losing out on weather data, and without FEMA funding, more Americans will die if or when hurricanes do come. This is while David Richardson, the acting head of FEMA, said that the United States had no hurricane season (KHOU).
This is not an issue for scientists alone; representatives of the American Federation of Government Employees [AFGE] also showed up to protest alongside other concerned citizens. Some walkers also asked about the nature of the demonstration, with interest in helping out. The two cops who appeared at the event were likely unnecessary, but perhaps they were also made aware of the NOAA and FEMA cuts. However, no protest event is just about the event itself; it is also about the awareness and the spreading impact an event could raise. Amid so many issues, which is sadly nothing new, it is easy for impactful problems to go unnoticed.
Meanwhile, the online group Progressive Victory’s Florida branch held a phone banking event to call representatives to restore NOAA and FEMA funds (Discord). Protest is not just a physical action but a spirit of action. Ultimately, it is unknown when protesting if any protest will make a change, but actionable protests, big or small, are worth the effort.
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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/9/2326875/-Miami-Protests-NOAA-and-FEMA-Cuts?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web
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