Chattanooga Protest Targets Policy, Neighborhood Change
- Mason Edwards!
- Apr 10
- 4 min read
By Mason Edwards, The Chattanooga Times Free Press
About 80 protesters gathered Thursday evening at the corner of Glass Street and Chamberlain Avenue to protest a range of national and local concerns, including tariffs, anti-immigration policy, potential special education cuts and gentrification.
Gusts of wind and scattered rain didn't stop people from chanting, "One, two, three, four, we don't want no tariff war!" and "Rain or shine, this is not fine." Demonstrators, primarily older but across the ages — from a 9-year-old to a 71-year-old — let their chants echo off boarded-up buildings.
The rally was organized by Democracy in Action, a self-funded, nonpartisan grassroots network that has held several protests in recent months. Thursday's event marked a shift away from downtown and into a neighborhood organizers say is often overlooked.
"We've heard people ask, 'Where are the Black and Hispanic voices at these protests?'" Alison Gorman, a founding member of the group, said in a phone interview Thursday. "Our goal is to create space where more people feel welcome and heard."
Gorman, a Chattanooga-based book editor who has run unsuccessfully for office, said the group operates more like a reactive force than a structured organization.
"It's like laying railroad tracks in front of a moving train," she said. "People come out because they care, each for their own reasons."
According to Lisa Fox, 69, of Hixson, members are growing in size and organization, with volunteer roles like de-escalators, crossing guards and street medics in attendance.
"I scored 25 volunteers in the past two weeks," she said.
Online accusations that the protests are staged or paid don't sit well with Gorman.
"Nobody is being paid. Everyone is local," she said in a phone interview. "We didn't go out and plan something and then hope people show up. It's the other way around. We have the crowd."
Rebecca Casi, 31, stood near the front with her 12-year-old child, Robbi Magliaro. The two have attended five protests together.
"It's scary being the mom of a kid who identifies with the LGBT community in this climate," she said. "We'll be here every week for the next four years if that's what it takes."
Jessica Bonham, 34, of Glass Farm, voiced concern that protest alone wasn't enough, though she appreciated the action. She wants the community to go beyond chanting at passing cars.
"We need to identify targets that we have influence over, and that starts locally," she said in an email in which she referenced pro-immigration issues as an example. "Calling and emailing our state representatives and senators to vote no on education bills targeting undocumented children is how we can demonstrate that value."
She and others criticized Senate Bill 836, which could require school systems to charge undocumented students tuition or allow them to be denied an education. The bill is an attempt to challenge Plyler v. Doe, which guarantees all children an education, regardless of immigration status. The measure passed the state Senate Thursday.
While many people honked as they drove by, not all commuters shared the protester's political values.
Luke Eckler, 24, a project manager who lives in the Southside Historic District, was caught in protest traffic while driving home on Glass Street around 5:30 p.m.
While he acknowledged being "surprised how many people there were," Eckler said he didn't linger.
"I think the protests are a waste of time," he said. "I definitely had to pay a little more attention driving because they were pressed up against the road."
A supporter of President Donald Trump, Eckler said his views are shaped in part by his opposition to Democratic positions.
"It's more so what I don't like about the Democrats," he said. "A big one — being pro-life, no abortions whatsoever, save all the babies."
Still, he acknowledged the location's significance.
"If that was their goal, that is the spot to find some more minorities," he said.
For some, the protest's placement in East Chattanooga was much needed.
Audrey Ramsey, 69, who returned to her hometown city in 2018, said the event highlighted gentrification, which is when new, higher-cost developments displace longtime residents.
"[Gentrification is] the new Trail of Tears for African Americans," she said in a phone interview. "I'm not opposed to progress in these blighted areas, but it would seem to me that if you're trying to build communities, then do your marketing research."
She said the protests near Glass Street were meant to show that everyone, regardless of race, is being affected.
"People of color have been so disenfranchised that they become complacent," she said in a phone interview. "They stop believing this is their fight."
Gorman said people should remember what protest really means.
"Exercising your First Amendment rights is patriotism," she said. "That's what we fought for, to speak out, publicly, peacefully, when we see something wrong."
Gorman expressed frustration with what she sees as a lack of action by her congressman and two U.S. senators. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reached out to U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Ooltewah, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., for comment, but none responded as of press time.
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