‘Show us your taxes Trump,’ protesters in Sarasota demanded as they marched across the Ringling Bridge

Show us your taxes, hundreds proclaimed as they demanded transparency from President Donald Trump.

Hundreds marched across the Ringling bridge in Sarasota in solidarity with other Truth Matters tax marches in cities across the country demanding that Trump release his income tax returns.

Nancy Lefeblore, 78, of North Port, marched across the bridge alone, but united with the others in the community exercising their freedom of speech. Like many of them, she did so out of concern that Trump had not released his tax returns, she said, wondering what they would reveal and what he was hiding.

“He’s just not doing anything to make us trust him. I don’t know if that is his game plan, perhaps,” Lefeblore said. “Have we lost our democracy? Big money owns us. Big money owns Congress.”

She worried that even protesting and marching would not be enough, but she still believed it was worth trying.

“By the people, for the people, I did used to believe that as a youth,” Lefeblore said. “I just think we are up against so much money.”

Organizers estimated there to be about 1,600 people, some who stayed protesting at Bayfront Park in downtown Sarasota, but the rest marched across the Ringling bridge over Sarasota Bay.

Simultaneously across the country other Truth Matters marches were going on in many cities in at least 43 states, Washington D.C. and even internationally in cities like Tokyo and London.

Dr. Doreen Dupont, a retired doctor in Sarasota, was among the organizers of the local tax march in Sarasota, drawing many residents from all over Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Dupont was urging Congressman Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, and other members of Congress to request Trump’s tax returns from the Department of Treasury.

“It stands to reason that he has tremendous conflicts of interest due to huge businesses all over the world, people who are our enemies,” Dupont said. “We have to see what he is doing, because is he fit to be the president? He doesn’t divest, so how can he make decisions that are in our best interests (and) not in the interests of his businesses. It’s impossible, he’s a human being.”

Dupont said Congress, therefore, needed to examine his tax returns.

Patricia Tun, a member of Action Together Suncoast, who organized the local women’s march in January, stood at the base of the Ringling bridge again thanking participants along with other volunteers and organizers. The crowd wasn’t as large, she noted, but equally committed to the issues being raised, she said.

“I think there is a tremendous demand for Trump not only to show us his taxes, but show us honesty and transparency,” Tun said. “We feel like we are in the dark and we feel like we are being used too for profit by him, his family and his billionaire friends.”

Childhood friends John Kelley and Jeff Hollway, both 74, marched on Saturday. Both really disagreed with Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns.

But, like many protesting Saturday, they took issue with more than just that.

“I think he should go to Congress for approval to shoot Tomahawk missiles,” Kelley said. “I’m certainly heartbroken over the children and civilians killed in Syria, but I think that Congress’ approval is necessary.”

This story was originally published April 15, 2017 at 6:40 PM with the headline "‘Show us your taxes Trump,’ protesters in Sarasota demanded as they marched across the Ringling Bridge."