21 hours ago
No Kings: Protesters line Park Avenue West in rally against President Trump
Gerald Vega might not have had much of a voice left after Saturday's "No Kings" protest on Park Avenue West.
The 20-year-old president of the Richland County Young Democrats used a bullhorn to rally the crowd of about 250, who braved a rainy forecast to make their voices heard.
"We're out here protesting what we believe to be the petty dictatorship and tyranny of President Donald Trump," Vega said. "We need to get our voices out there and say, 'This is not acceptable. We need change.'''
The protests in Mansfield, Shelby and Ashland were part of a nationwide movement, coinciding with Trump's military parade in Washington, D.C.
Their goal was to raise questions about the balance of power between the federal government and state and local authorities, as well as the rights of immigrants.
More: 'No Kings' protests updates: Rallies wind down in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and DC
With a wet forecast, not many people were at the Mansfield protest at the beginning, but the crowd continued to swell as the rain largely held off outside of a fine mist.
"I'm pleased with the turnout with the weather," said Venita Shoulders, vice chairwoman of the Richland County Democratic Party's executive committee. "I was thinking, 'Oh, no,' but the people seem to want to be here regardless."
The county Democratic Party, along with Democracy Speaks: Richland County, organized the protest. Shoulders spent much of her time directing people where to park as protesters lined the sidewalks in front of the Kroger complex and Taco Bell and across the street at the West Park Shopping Center property.
"We want to be part of the bigger picture in terms of what's going on across the nation," Shoulders said.
Vega has been politically active for about three years. He said his generation cares about the future. "Young people are very passionate," Vega said. "It's just about mobilizing them."
As the protest got underway, a woman handed out small American flags to those attending.
Lynn Vera lives in Fostoria and is camping in the area. Mansfield was the closest protest, so she decided to come. Her husband dropped her off.
"He doesn't agree with me, not enough to step out of his comfort zone," Vera said. "It takes a lot to step out and tell people you don't agree with the administration's policies."
Though she is a Democrat, Vera said she votes for the person, not the party. She did not vote for Trump either time.
"He promotes lies. He promotes hate," Vera said. "By calling in the National Guard (in Los Angeles), I think he's trying to get us into martial law."
Many of the protesters brought signs. Larry Foster's read, "The power of the people is greater than the people in power."
Foster, who lives in Mansfield, said he disagrees with the mass deportation of immigrants, especially those who have been sent to prisons.
He said immigrants play a key role in the United States with their work in the farming and textile industries, adding some have lived here for decades.
"They're pulling them out of the fields," Foster said. "Who's going to pick the vegetables?"
Like Foster, Dan Marion sympathizes with immigrants.
"I don't have a problem with immigration (reform). I have a problem with how we're doing it," the Ashland man said.
Marion said Trump needs to be held accountable.
"I see an overreaching government that doesn't want to follow the Constitution," he said.
The protest in Mansfield ran from 10 a.m. to noon, in part to minimize conflict with the downtown Juneteenth event.
"We didn't want to disrupt our good friends at the Juneteenth celebration," Vega said.
While many people honked their horns in support while driving past the protesters, not everyone agreed with them. One person in a black pickup drove past twice, gunning his engine and spewing black exhaust on the crowd.
Another driver slowed down while someone in the backseat held a sign out the window reading "Trump 2024 Save America."
The sign was met with a resounding chorus of boos.
John Makley organized a similar protest in Shelby. He said people were "vile" with their postings on Facebook, but that generated more interest.
Makley estimated about 70 people turned out for the protest at the Black Fork Commons.
"For Shelby, that's pretty amazing," he said.
The president of the Shelby Area Democratic Club, Makley also attended the protest in Mansfield.
"I've never been a Trump supporter," he said, citing the president's cuts to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and food banks, along with his stance on climate change.
Makley added that Trump's military parade "took money away from people who need support."
"At least, in (Trump's) first administration, there were people who were concerned about repercussions and did believe in the law," he said. "This is not the America I grew up seeing."
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Protesters take to the streets to rally against President Trump
