by Tom Calarco

It was a cool, gray Saturday but the drizzle of rain did not deter thousands marching in downtown Cincinnati in opposition to the draconian policies of President Trump. Passing cars honked their horns in support and protesters sang, “This Land is Your Land.”

In sleepy, conservative Middletown, the former home of Vice-President J.D. Vance, the crowd was much smaller and more subdued but no less determined.

“I was in Middletown,” said Amy Mercer of Mason, “next to the road with others and our signs. We only got lots of honks and waves, nothing rude.”

She was among Warren County Democrats participating in the Hands Off protests that also occurred locally in Wilmington and Oxford.

“I’m especially glad I went to Middletown,” said Suzy Aukerman of Loveland. “I know what it’s like to live in a town where you don’t feel comfortable protesting. Middletown residents need to know they are supported.”

“Everyone has to speak out, and to act, in whatever peaceful means possible, if we are to save our Democracy,” said Rebecca Wuest of Lebanon.

There were people of all ages, holding homemade signs and U.S. flags, and young couples with their children.

“I felt fortunate to be there,” said Wuest, who was participating in her first protest, but as she said, not her last.

It was peaceable, for the most part, Rhonda Koenig of Lebanon said of the rally in Middletown. However, she did note some opposition.

“There were two people standing off to the side of the crowd listening to the speakers,” she said, holding a yellow flag with the image of a snake known to represent ‘Never Tread on Me,’ which has represented MAGA in the past.”

However, there were no incidents and she said she felt safe because of the police presence. No incidents were reported in Cincinnati either.

Immigration is among the majors concerns and was the one issue that probably led to Trump’s reelection. While everyone agrees we need to fix our immigration problems, many believe Trump has gone too far, much too far.

I am an educator at Middletown High School,” said Kayra Fuster of Middletown. “I work with ESL students–most of them are immigrants– and the dismantling of the Department of Education will hurt them the most. In addition, elimination of the Safe Locations Memorandum (November 2011) has created panic in our immigrant communities. Parents and children feel helpless and hopeless.”

As has been reported in the news, some are being illegally deported or refused return entry into the country, like the cancer surgeon in Boston, whose patients are awaiting life-saving surgery. Or those being deported without due process which is a violation of our Constitution.

Hands Off protests were held in more than 2,000 U.S. communities Saturday, and the numbers were in the thousands in many U.S. cities.

Writer Lucian Truscott described the scene in Milford, PA:

I could have seen them at a Vietnam War protest in Georgia or Colorado, or an anti-racism march in New Orleans, or a Human Rights Campaign fund raiser in Nashville, or an early-days feminist gathering in New York City. In each of those places, their faces, unlined and framed in un-gray hair, would have looked the same as they looked today: at once mad and sad that it was necessary once again to use their voices to state the obvious, that we are all equal in the eyes of the law, that war is a crime, that our bodies belong to us and not to legislators, that healthcare is a right, not a privilege, that allowing others to live in poverty is unacceptable, that wealth may convey power but not goodness.

It was no different in Warren County.

“There is anger over the mass federal worker firings and DOGE actions, said Sarah Burton-Price of Mason.

“In San Francisco, what jumped out to me,” wrote historian Heather Cox Richardson, “was how many of the signs in the crowd called for the protection of the U.S. Constitution, our institutions, and the government agencies that keep us safe.”

The American Revolution, she added, was a movement not to change the status quo but to protect it. The colonists who created our nation sought to ensure that self-government could not be overturned by officials seeking to seize power.

There is “the complete disregard and disrespect of our Constitution and Rule of Law” by the Trump Administration, Burton-Price agreed.

The same concern was being expressed nationwide. People fear that Trump is trying take total control of our government and our lives. That is why people are marching and protesting and asking others to join them. There is an urgency.

Journalist Ken Klippenstein was at the State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin.

“As I arrived at the State Capitol in Madison today,” he wrote, “I was immediately struck by the sheer number of people gathered — the largest assembly I’d seen since moving back to Wisconsin last year.

“Thousands amassed, and the crowd was eclectic, from Vietnam era veterans to UW (University of Wisconsin) students and professors. One guy was even dressed up as Luigi Mangione, hoodie and all.

Klippenstein then mingled with the protesters and videotaped interviews with them, which you can see on his Substack page.

The biggest concern of one protester was the environment.

“His denial of climate change. It’s ridiculous,” he said. “young people aren’t gonna have a good life at all.”

Another angry senior veteran expressed his disdain for Congress and their lack of will to stop Trump:

Every veteran drafted or enlisted takes an oath to defend, protect, and preserve the constitution of the United States against enemies both foreign and domestic. And right now we have a domestic enemy in the form of Trump and Musk; and Congress is doing nothing. And in the eyes and in the minds of a lot of us veterans, it’s like spitting on the graves of those millions of Americans.

Another expressed his contempt for the mean spirited behavior of Trump. His attitude about handicapped people. “When he made fun of that handicapped reporter, that was just pure — you know what I mean.”

“It is important for regular citizens from all backgrounds to unite together in protest,” said Burton-Price. “When others see people they know protesting, it gives them pause and may encourage them to think more critically about the events happening around them. And perhaps they will join in the fight.”

Government representatives like our Congressman Greg Landsman are urging constituents to become pro-active, to speak out, to contact other elected officials, and support groups like the ACLU to protect our voting rights, which are under attack.

As Claire Renwick of Mason said, “Not everyone can participate in a protest, but everyone can do something: make a phone call or write a letter. Do something. Everything counts!”

While all agree it is difficult to persuade or even engage those who have been conned by the word of Trump and become part of his cult following, many still believe we should at least try to find some common ground. Show them that what he is doing is not in their best interests.

Koenig has another suggestion to help those misled by Trump and the MAGA cult to see the light:

I went to the protests on April 5th to first show to my grandchildren and family that sometimes we need to “do something” to show support of our own beliefs. Protesting is one way without being overly confrontational or having a one-on-one conversation. Secondly, in the hopes of influencing others to do the same. I believe many people may feel or believe the same but may be hesitant to demonstrate or share with the world, but when seeing others do the same, it gives them hope and nudges them to do likewise.

Fuster believes more radical measures are necessary: “We need to organize a national walkout or a national strike. If we all walk away from our public-service jobs at once, it will be evident that this government cannot achieve anything without having the people on board.”

Finally, Michael Hoffman of Mason expressed well the concerns of many of us:

I have had all of the emotions of disbelief, disappointment, confusion, and depression over the election and the gutting, dismantling, and destruction of not just the government and democracy but our social fabric, said Michael Hoffman. I have felt helpless. Attending this rally allowed me to lend my voice and my presence, to send a message that we, the people of the U.S., are not okay with what is happening, and want and deserve better.

Being there, among the crowd, seeing the number of people there, reading the many clever, funny, and thoughtful signs, singing songs, and cheering with others who feel the same inspired me and made me feel better that all was not lost.

The next major protest is April 19th, The “No Kings, ‘We’re not going back!’ Protest,” commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution.
However, no protests have yet been scheduled locally for that date.

You can also read this story on Tom Calarco’s Substack.

(Amy Mercer, Rebecca Wuest, Sarah Burton-Price, Michael Hoffman, Suzy Aukerman, Rhonda Koenig, Claire Renwick, and Kayra Fuster contributed to this report.)