Baltimore-area organizations protest Trump administration's policy changes during May Day

Several Baltimore-area organizations rallied Thursday for May Day, protesting recent policy changes by the Trump administration. 

May Day, which is also known as International Workers' Day, is observed annually. 

This year, some workers are taking the opportunity to voice opposition to changes by the federal government that, they say, have attacked healthcare, jobs, immigrant rights and student protections. 

Protestors rally at Johns Hopkins University

Teachers and Researchers United (TRU-UE) Local 197, a PhD workers' union at Johns Hopkins University, joined the rallies on May Day to demand that the university's administration protect international students, workers and research funding. 

"The upshot is that we want them to be proactive about protecting our workers' rights, to protect them from ICE and to protect their research funding," said Stephen Schmidt, a graduate worker and member of TRU-UE Local 197. 

"It is very important for people on campus to be able to do their research and teaching work without fear of ICE or their funding being cut or anything like that," Schmidt added. 

Graduate workers on the picket line called on Johns Hopkins University to back up their support of academic freedom with actions opposing the Trump administration. 

The union is calling for the university to agree to their five demands: 

• Declare Johns Hopkins University (JHU) a sanctuary campus
• End surveillance on the student body, delete the data of students and workers and end the Johns Hopkins Police Department and campus militarization
• Support the non-U.S. citizens on campus
• Commit to fully funding all ongoing research and training projects
• Publicly affirm the university's support for academic freedom, rigorous scientific inquiry and its commitment to evidence-based research and clinical practice. 

"We're going to keep making noise until our academic freedom and our international workers have adequate protection," said Sheridon Ward, a graduate worker with TRU-UE Local 197. "We have a responsibility to use our union power when our workers are threatened."

Johns Hopkins University responds to May Day protestors 

WJZ reached out to Johns Hopkins University regarding the student concerns, and a university spokesperson wrote:

"Johns Hopkins University deeply values our international students and staff, and we remain committed to maintaining healthcare, learning, and working environments that allow for the discussion and dialogue essential to academic and community life.  

We have regularly communicated with our community about the range of support services we provide for our international affiliates, as well as our longstanding policy of not providing information about a JHU affiliate's immigration status unless required by law and not allowing immigration authorities access to private JHU facilities absent a court order."

The spokesperson further explained that JHU was home to the early development of the concept of academic freedom in the U.S., and it remains a foundational value at the heart of their mission. 

"We are committed to the steadfast protection of free expression, as long as individuals and groups comply with our rules, policies, and guidelines. Our guidelines include a prohibition on the disruption of Johns Hopkins operations, and we have been clear that acts of hate, threats, and discrimination violate university policy and the student code of conduct," the statement continued. 

On Monday, the university announced several new support programs for members of the JHU research community who are facing unexpected grant terminations, delays or other interruptions. 

In response to immigration concerns, JHU also published a detailed Q&A on its public safety website.

What prompted May Day rallies?

Recent changes by the Trump administration have angered many residents in Baltimore and the greater Maryland area. 

Last month, protestors gathered outside Baltimore City Hall as part of the "Hands Off!" movement, which protested recent efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce. 

Those efforts have included staffing cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Social Security Administration. 

Maryland is home to about 160,000 federal civilian employees, which represents 6% of all state jobs, according to Gov. Wes Moore's office. 

Groups also protested against federal immigration policies, the dissolution of diversity policies and in favor of LGBTQ+ rights during May Day on Thursday. 

One of the rallies was also for the March for Palestinian-controlled territories – a joint effort by several groups in Baltimore. 

Another gathering, the "99 vs 1 March," was carried out by a group hoping to remind people about the power of democracy.