Grassroots group unites like-minded citizens

Marci Carson, Mari O’Donnell and Tami Johnson are members of the Ocala Blue Dots grassroots group. [Submitted photo]

Erika De La Cruz did not plan to spearhead a movement, but a scroll through TikTok before the app was nearly banned in January lit a spark.

Under the hashtag #winterboots, a code designed to skirt the app’s algorithm, she saw Floridians asking, “‘Okay, what’s going on in Ocala for organizing protests?” related to President Donald Trump’s second term. Frustrated by the lack of local organizing resources, she felt it was time to step up.

“If I didn’t act, no one else would,” De La Cruz said.

Out of this, Ocala Blue Dots, a Reddit-based group targeting Trump and Elon Musk, was born. Blue has come to symbolize Democratic voters and their interests, while red is associated with the Republican Party.

De La Cruz chose Reddit as the platform to rally a group because, in her view, platforms such as Musk-owned X—formerly Twitter–were not an option.

“Blue Sky didn’t work for community-building, and so Reddit made sense,” De La Cruz said.

With this, a new chapter of local grassroots activism began. The group currently has 565 members.

On April 5, members of Ocala Blue Dots joined an estimated 1,000 other protesters in downtown Ocala for 50501 demonstrations, a nationwide series of protests against the Trump administration’s actions.

The name 50501 originally stood for 50 protests, 50 states, one day, reflecting the initial goal of coordinating simultaneous protests in every state on a single day. It has evolved into a broader movement aimed at resisting what organizers describe as anti-democratic and harmful policies being pushed by the Republican Party and Trump loyalists.

According to De La Cruz, the involvement of Musk’s unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is part of what propelled the Blue Dots to join the protests.

“It was very frustrating to have an unelected individual that was unvetted within our government making decisions that he shouldn’t be making,” De La Cruz said. “Although I understand that he was appointed by the president (as a “special government employee”) he has not gone through the proper channels to hold an office.”

Outside of taking on national issues, the Blue Dots’ purpose in protesting is to forge a community within a community.

“The protests themselves are a way to build solidarity, to show people, ‘Hey, there’s people who think like you around you,’” De La Cruz said. “Because we are in a predominantly red area, a very conservative area, a lot of people feel disenfranchised. They feel like there’s not someone that thinks like them. So that, to me, is the main focus of the protests themselves.”

De La Cruz said they have collaborated with like-minded groups such as the Marion County Democratic Party to offer a shared platform by adding their logos to the flyers she was producing and encouraging collective action. The goal is not to elevate Blue Dots above other groups but to unite the region’s smaller groups into a cohesive force, all working toward the purpose of influencing policy.

James Elmore helped get the Blue Dots groups going and provided security through de-escalation training and legal monitoring. He has since stepped down from that role but remains an active member to offer advice and encouragement.

“A lot of folks are afraid to protest. I’m trying to show them it is OK,” Elmore said. “Ocala Blue Dots gives us a place to gather, plan and act. The information sharing and networking are invaluable. It was started just a couple of months ago and is already over 500 members strong.”

Nancy Carp stumbled upon the Blue Dots groups by chance.

“I was looking something up on Reddit and it caught my eye. I am now spreading the word to all Democrats about this group,” Carp said.

She believes that protests make a difference.

“During my lifetime I have protested many times. I wouldn’t have done it if it didn’t make a difference,” Carp said. “The fact is that throughout history protests have brought awareness and change to the government and other situations.”

In Carp’s view, peaceful protests are a way of saying there will be accountability for governmental actions.

“It sends a strong message that ‘We the People’ are angry and we won’t put up with this. We will not stand for people being hurt. We are always better when we stand together as one,” she said.

For those in Marion County who are hesitant to protest, Carp said she understands their fears.

“I also am afraid when I protest; however, it doesn’t even come close to the fear that I have of losing my country. Protesting is simply a tool to exercise your right to speak out about wrong things,” Carp said.

Tami Johnson also stumbled upon the Blue Dots group by chance.

“I was looking for outlets where I might be able to find younger people and I’ve been poking around everywhere,” Johnson said.

“I got involved with the Marion Dems and, in my quest, I was always looking for a younger crowd because that’s what the Democratic Party needs, more young people,” Johnson continued.

“The young people are the ones who have the energy, and also, they’re the ones who have the most at stake. I mean, I’m going to be gone in 20 years, but the young people are looking at 60 years or more. So, they should be involved,” Johnson said.

Johnson expressed deep concern about the current administration and its direction, which she views as rooted in authoritarianism. She considers this path dangerous and detrimental, causing significant harm to many people. In her opinion, it offers no advantages for the country as a whole.

According to Johnson, the most valuable aspect of the Blue Dots group is networking, community and anonymity. There is the threat of infiltrators trolling the group online, however.

“The thing about the Reddit group is that the infiltrators could get in, but they don’t know who any of us are. I mean, they can figure out where we’re having a protest, but they don’t know who we are,” Johnson said.

“They can’t identify us personally. So, I think that’s helpful for a lot of people who want to do something or speak up or share information and don’t want to be identified,” she continued.

John Dunn supports the Blue Dots and the downtown protests. He and his wife have taken part in three so far.

“Like many of the protestors, we fear that our elections, military, scientific and medical institutions and even our judicial systems are all threatened,” Dunn said.

“In the 1970s, my wife and I lived in Germany and realized what happened there in the 1930s could happen anywhere. We were right. Now, it’s our turn. That’s why we were standing along Silver Springs Boulevard on April 5 waving cardboard signs with 1,000 other patriots,” he added.

While Dunn does not think local elected officials will be fazed by what they are doing, he said the protests do matter.

“For one thing, all those people who showed up realized they weren’t alone. Several told me that until now they’d been apprehensive about speaking out in such a conservative community,” Dunn said.

“I also hope we modeled for others how to fight for democracy,” he continued.

De La Cruz acknowledged that Ocala is a conservative county, which presents an interesting context for organizing an anti-Trump protest. She explained that she faced surprisingly little resistance, less than she had anticipated. She sees this as evidence that people, even in a conservative area, respect the First Amendment. She admitted that early on, the biggest pushback didn’t just come from conservatives, it came from her own circle. Some doubted the impact of her efforts and asked why she bothered, suggesting it wouldn’t make a difference.

Jeani Derrough works with the Blue Dots offline and through their signal chat and said the group always has people who attempt to intimidate them at some of their protests.

“Those attempts are really very half-hearted at best; the conservative factor isn’t really a challenge for us having these protests at all. We believe in their right to have just as much say and to protest as well, if they want to, because one of the things we’re fighting for is freedom of speech and so that has to apply to everybody,” Derrough said.

The next 50501 protest is slated for April 19, with Ocala Blue Dots prepared with signs and chants.

“It looks like millions of Americans around the country feel like we do. Next time, our numbers will be even bigger,” Dunn said.

Hundreds of people hold signs during the 50501 protest against President Donald Trump and his policies on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at the Ocala downtown square. [Photo by Bruce Ackerman]