ASHLAND — Organizers estimated more than 200 people took to Corner Park Saturday afternoon, lining up on Claremont Avenue for a local “Hands Off” protest.
Similar protests swept the country Saturday, with more than 1,200 cities across all 50 states seeing events aimed at speaking against President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.
Bri Over said she organized Ashland’s protest in collaboration with several organizations: 50501, Hands Off, Indivisible and the Ashland County Democratic Party.
“It’s an event for everybody to come and speak up with their gripes about the current political administration, but it’s not specifically about Trump,” Over said.
She explained the event was more focused on curbing executive overreach by trying to send a message that people want the government to take their “hands off” programs like Social Security, Medicaid and other public services.
Over spread word about the event on several Ashland Facebook pages, including one she started called Ashland Takes Action, and the Ashland County Democrats.
Heather Sample, the chair of the Democratic party in Ashland, said a lot more people attended the event than she expected.
People came holding rainbow flags and signs reading, “It’s not a moment, it’s a movement,” and, “Don’t let history repeat.”
The event also attracted a group of around 10 counterprotestors.
Counterprotestors said they weren’t organized. Chuck Bisesi, who stood across the street from the protest holding a Trump flag, said he saw the event happening on Facebook and came out to protest the protestors.
He said he has attended events in support of Trump in Ashland County before.
“I support America,” he said, adding he thinks Trump and Musk are trying to get rid of waste and fraud, and the president is doing “the best he can.”
Sample said she thinks it’s good to try to make the government run more efficiently. But, in her eyes, there’s also “a way to do it and a way not to do it.” She said she takes issue with Musk, who runs the Department of Governmental Efficiency, being unelected.
Over, Sample and Emily Huestis, another event attendee, all agreed that protesting offers a chance for people to be engaged. Over encouraged people to keep watching the Ashland Takes Action page because there will be more opportunities to engage coming in the future.
Huestis said she has worked to teach people to civilly engage with their representatives in the past.
Sample also said she thinks it’s important for people to register to vote and exercise their rights.
“This is a form of democracy in action,” Huestis said. “This is exercising our right to speak truth to power. This is exercising our rights that are enshrined in the Bill of Rights.”
