Trump policies trigger nationwide protests. A Fresno resident voices concern | Opinion
Ever since President Donald Trump became only the second person to win nonconsecutive terms to the White House, protests have sprouted throughout the country against his efforts to reshape the federal government.
The “Hands Off!” and “50501” protests have targeted Trump’s policies on issues ranging from health care to immigration to trade to layoffs of federal workers.
Those protests have drawn thousands of sign-waving participants in Fresno within the last two months. The most recent protest was the May 1 rally on Blackstone and Alluvial in support of immigrant rights.
I’ve gone to some of these protests, and have wondered what drives these participants to chant, hold up signs and walk alongside heavily traveled streets to make their voices heard.
Fresno resident Nancy Schultz, a retired criminal defense attorney, has been among those protesters. She passed the California bar in 1981 and started a private practice in Tulare County before working as a research attorney for several Fresno County Superior Court judges. She later worked for Tulare County Child Protective Services, and then joined the Fresno County Public Defenders Office for 19 years before retiring.
Schultz lived in Fresno for 31 years, moved to Washington state where she lived for 13 years, and returned to Fresno in 2023.
I invited her to a Q&A conversation to get a sense of who shows up on streets and parks to voice their opinions.
What is your earliest recollection of demonstrating against a national issue or policy?
“I was born in Texas and grew up as an Air Force brat. Texas was a very different place then. I went to schools through junior high in San Antonio but graduated high school in North Carolina. At that time (1963-1968) the U.S. was embroiled in the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam. They were also the years of the greatest civil rights movements.”
What is your political affiliation?
“I’ve been a lifelong Democrat since my first presidential election in 1972. My life experiences in the military formed my political views and I’ve always voted a straight Democratic ticket. I have never missed a general election. In 2020 I voted for Joe Biden and in 2024, for Kamala Harris.”
Did you get involved in the marches when Trump was first elected president?
“I certainly was a marcher in the first women’s march in 2017 and called for the impeachment of Donald Trump immediately after he was inaugurated. He has been very bad for women’s rights.”
What led to your involvement?
“On Election Night 2024 I was very disappointed but knew we had to fight this man who is a rapist, a liar, a tyrant and a traitor. At that time my immediate concern was for reproductive rights for women. He has proven himself to be a dictator who is dangerous for all of our rights.”
Why is your voice important?
“My voice is one among hundreds of thousands in the country who have responded to Trump’s authoritarian policies. Together, our collective voices hold the feet of this regime to the fire. And it has worked: policies have been tempered or completely reversed.”
What are your current concerns about Trump’s actions?
“My three biggest concerns are the kidnapping of people who are claimed to be here illegally with no proof or hearings; the regime’s ignoring court orders; and Trump filling his cabinet with toadies who have no experience or backbone.
“Along with many other Americans I was shocked by his dictatorial positions but hardly surprised. He has always indicated that he sympathizes with Adolf Hitler and is an admirer of acknowledged white supremacists. ”
You have criticized lack of media coverage of the local protests. Why?
“Millions of Americans across the country have rallied on a weekly basis at “50501” or “Hands Off” demonstrations. These Americans are resisting the Trump regime’s elimination of (the jobs of) hundreds of thousands of federal employees and reductions in force or complete elimination of necessary departments.
What do you want the Democratic Party to do?
“Our party needs a comprehensive immigration reform policy but we need to combat the racism that has been allowed to reassert itself. The party needs to clarify its position on immigration, including a guest worker program that is equitable. We need to take back our democratic ideals that some call “woke.” They are actually humanitarian ideals.”
“One-third of the workers who have been fired are veterans. Included in the departments being destroyed are Social Security, the IRS, the VA, the CDC, the Department of Education and FEMA. Millions are protesting the interference with our democracy by Elon Musk and his DOGE.(Department of Government Efficiency).
“As those millions have marched and protested, so have Fresnans, but The Fresno Bee seems not to be interested in covering the huge turnouts we’ve seen.
“I am critical of the lack of media coverage of our large rallies because as I said before the presence of millions of Americans protesting has effected change. We will continue the pressure until he is gone.
“We are news and we deserve the respect and attention of our local newspaper.”
(My two cents: The Bee did cover the “Hands Off” protest held April 19 in Clovis. The Bee has published scores of stories and opinion pieces about the Trump administration’s impact on the Fresno region, as well as accepted and published several op-eds from readers.)
This story was originally published May 8, 2025 at 5:30 AM.