Michigan residents protest Trump’s environmental cuts in Southwest Detroit

Nearly 200 Michiganders stood shoulder to shoulder at a climate rally where on Saturday despite the heavy snow, attendees voiced their opposition to the Trump administration’s cuts to environmental government agencies and programs. 

Saturday’s “Climate Can’t Wait” rally in Southwest Detroit was part of a national movement by the nonprofit advocacy group Climate Action Campaign. 

Brian Kelly, vice president of AFGE Local 704, a local EPA union, said the administration recently terminated the “next generation” of EPA employees, including scientists, engineers, and legal staff crucial for combating climate change and implementing environmental justice. 

On Friday, the administration terminated 388 EPA staff, according to Reuters. Kelly said that dozens are from Region 5, which includes EPA offices in Ann Arbor and Chicago. 

“EPA hasn’t communicated with the union, so we don’t know the exact number of employees fired. Based on how many have contracted the union, we think it’s more than 40,” he told Planet Detroit. “They’re the people that would be doing the air inspection, the enforcement. We have lawyers that go to court and sue polluting companies.”

Despite court orders blocking the action, the EPA has frozen funding for 43 climate projects in Michigan, including five in Detroit, affecting $48 million worth of grants for initiatives like One Love Global and the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority. 

Kelly anticipates further cuts on top of a hiring freeze. He said that environmental justice employees were put on administrative leave. 

Kelly stressed the need for residents to reach out to members of Congress, particularly in red and purple districts, to overturn grant freezes.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, a guest speaker of the afternoon, said she plans to “litigate, legislate and educate.” She told Planet Detroit the consequences of cutting environmental protections have real health impacts. 

“What does it mean to have this rally in Southwest Detroit? This is an area that has historically a great deal of air pollution,” Dingell told us. “Hey, I was in a school here and had an asthma attack myself a couple of years ago.” 

Protecting union climate and energy jobs in Michigan

Denise Keele, director of Michigan Climate Action Network, said her “ask” is for federal officials to safeguard the Inflation Reduction Act, along with other federal investments made in recent years.

Keele said Detroit is the “poster child” for environmental racism and climate impacts, such as flooding or power outages that leave ratepayers without service for weeks. Because of Trump’s attacks on DEI and climate justice, Keele said organizers wanted the rally to be where the “targets were being leveled.” 

“When we see these types of pressures coming out of the Trump administration, folks do feel afraid,” Keele said. “We need to stand up for each other and stand together as allies.” 

Michigan is a national leader in clean energy job creation backed by IRA projects, bringing in more than $25 billion in new investments across the state. Keele said clean energy investments go beyond installing solar panels or insulation on homes, and they are “creating an entire new economy that is based around renewable energy.” 

“That means more jobs as we convert more houses and do the decarbonization as we build out our rail lines and mass transit pieces,” Keele said. “This is really about job creation and great livelihoods that are clean energy for folks in our state.” 

Impacts on Detroiters

Victor Jimenez, an organizer with the Michigan League of Conservation Voters and lifelong Southwest Detroiter, said it meant a lot to him to see a full crowd on a snowy Saturday to talk about “why the last four weeks have been unacceptable.” 

Jimenez said the air along highways in Southwest sometimes looks “opaque.” 

“It’s unfortunate because some people live along these and have to breathe this stuff in. They wake up every morning and wipe the stuff off of their cars,” Jimenez said. “People don’t want to be incubated in their homes. They want to be able to breathe the air that surrounds their neighborhood, and I think they have every right to do so.” 

He said he’s seen neighbors fighting for community benefits and stronger environmental regulations his entire life. 

“The fact that there are folks at the federal level coming together to fund important gatherings like this, shows that community force behind an issue is really, really special,” Jimenez said. 

Gathering gives hope

Detroit City Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero said the full room gave her hope and encouraged attendees to share resources.

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib urged mobilization and spoke to the power of community voices.

“The pain and the fear, the anxiety that all of you have right now…when I hear from you guys, it makes me move with the urgency you all want me to move,” Tlaib said. 

Sarina Sewell, a senior at Southeastern High School and member of 482 Forward, an education justice youth group, said she advocates for climate justice for personal reasons. Her school sits across the street from auto manufacturer Stellantis, which recently gained a permit to increase particulate matter emissions by a third. 

“Straight gas smells” from the facility often permeate her classroom, Sewell said. She added that a friend had to stop taking the stairs at school as her asthma worsened. She said she was glad to see other young people at the rally. 

“Being here lets me realize that there’s actually more people my age doing stuff like this,” Sewell said. 

Jeff Sparling, a Metro Detroit resident, said his grandkids inspire him to participate in the rally.

“It’s nice to know that you’re not alone and that there are people in various degrees of power that can try to move the issues forward,” Sparling said. “Even the people that don’t understand or want to deny it, we got to help them as well.” 

The Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation hosted the rally. It was co-organized by the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Michigan Climate Action Network, and dozens of other local and regional groups.

Speakers included Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition Organizing Manager Ebony Elmore and youth activists from 482Forward, Industrious Labs, and Urban Neighborhood Initiatives.