- February 3, 2025
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Joe Galdo, Kendall Clark and Lynn Synder hold up signs to passing cars during the Ormond Beach Close the Camps protest on Tuesday, July 2. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Protest organizer Karen Pillar holds up her sign during the Ormond Beach Close the Camps protest on Tuesday, July 2. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Protesters gather on the corner of Beach Street with signs during the Ormond Beach Close the Camps protest on Tuesday, July 2. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Lorraine Berry holds up a sign during the Ormond Beach Close the Camps protest on Tuesday, July 2. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Jessica Watkins holds up a sign during the Ormond Beach Close the Camps protest on Tuesday, July 2. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Bob Blenheim holds up a sign during the Ormond Beach Close the Camps protest on Tuesday, July 2. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Over 20 local activists gathered on the four corners of Beach Street and West Granada Boulevard to demand the closure of immigrant detention centers, one of 184 protests held across the U.S. on Tuesday, July 2.
The Ormond Beach Close the Camps Protest was organized by Ormond-by-the-Sea resident Karen Pillar, who saw the movement from MoveOn, a progressive advocacy group and political action committee. The nearest protest to her was going to be held in Orlando, and Pillar decided to bring the movement closer to home.
"I think we need to raise awareness through the community so that people will take action — will call their senator, will call their representatives and demand that these camps be closed," Pillar said. "This is not who America is, and it's disgraceful that these things are happening."
Pillar spoke about the detention center in Homestead, saying people shouldn't be treated that way.
At the base of the bridge, protesters chanted "Say it loud, say it clear. Refugees are welcome here."
These local protesters are a handful of people among the hundreds who participated in the national protest, calling on members of Congress to close the detention centers, refuse additional funding for family detention and deportation, and visit detention camps, according to a press release.
For Pillar, the issue hits close to home. Her mother and grandmother were both immigrants.
"We're a country of immigrants," she said. "All of the sudden we're going to lock them up? It's not right. It's wrong."
