CASPER, Wyo. — On Saturday, protesters spoke out against President Donald Trump and the current administration while collecting nonperishable items to be donated to the Wyoming Food for Thought Project.
The protest comes roughly two weeks after the “Hands Off” protests swept the nation, including Casper. Both protests have been organized by the Casper Unity and Solidarity Project, or CUSP — a local group formed in February.
“We were looking around and didn’t see anyone responding to what’s going on,” CUSP member Jane Ifland said. “We wanted to take a two-pronged approach, and so CUSP will have both a political action side and a mutual aid side.”
Organizer Amber Bland said CUSP members knew they wanted to incorporate a donation drive or fundraiser in Saturday’s protest, and ultimately decided to support Wyoming Food for Thought because of the problem food insecurity poses.
“Food insecurity was, by and large, the biggest issue that we agreed as a group to focus on, especially with the food banks taking such a big hit [through Department of Governmental Efficiency cuts].”
In March, the Food Bank of Wyoming lost roughly $535,000 of funding when DOGE cuts eliminated a USDA grant that allowed food banks to purchase fresh food directly from Wyoming suppliers.
In addition to the food drive for Food for Thought, Bland said CUSP established an online fundraiser raising money for the Wyoming Food Bank. People can donate here.
Bland said CUSP plans on hosting many more mutual aid events and projects in the future, from clothing drives to fundraisers and possibly creating or working on a community garden.
“There’s a lot we have in the works and are excited about, but at the moment we’re still getting started,” she said.
At Saturday’s protest, attendees voiced anger and concern about a number of issues, including the deportation of Maryland man Kilmar Abrego-Garcia to CECOT, a detention center in El Salvador. The federal government initially referred to Abrego-Garcia being sent there as a mistake, but later walked back that stance. Despite a 9–0 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that he must be sent back, the Trump administration and the El Salvadorian government have stated that he will not be returned to the country.
“We’re seeing an outright attack against our Constitution,” Ifland said. “It flies in the face of everything that America stands for.”
Other topics on protesters’ minds included tariffs, DOGE cuts, reproductive rights and more.
CUSP’s next rally is scheduled for May 1 from 5 to 6 p.m. at Healing Park on Conwell. Ifland said the rally will be a show of support for the Wyoming Education Association and the Wyoming State AFL-CIO.
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