A throng of protesters filled the Ohio Statehouse lawn on April 19, with countless others lining the sidewalks of North High and East Broad streets in opposition to the Trump administration.
Wielding signs and chanting slogans, the crowd denounced anti-immigration policies and deportation practices, demanded “hands off” Social Security and Medicaid and addressed numerous other issues during what organizers called “The Rally Heard ‘Round the World.”
Organized by the group Ohio 50501, the rally was part of a nationwide movement that involved 52 cities in Ohio, lead organizer Madison Tracy said.
“There is no left or right when it comes to fighting for what is right,” said Tracy, who estimated the crowd to be about 4,000 people.
The protests grew out of a partnership between Ohio 50501, Indivisible and Common Cause Ohio, as part of a national collaboration of more than 150 organizations.
In addition to Columbus, protests took place Saturday in Reynoldsburg, Delaware, Westerville, Newark, Cleveland and Cincinnati, as well as state capitals and major cities in all 50 states.
“This is an emergency,” said Debbie Wood, of Powell, when asked what prompted her to attend the gathering. “We have to resist. We have to be loud. We have to be visible. We’re angry, and it’s not just a few people. The Democratic Party needs to step up. The time for compromise is over.”
Members of the crowd were invited to speak during an open-mic portion of the rally. Instead of giving a speech to fire up the crowd, Minister Kujenga Eliyah Ashé played taps on the trumpet.
A native of Columbus, Ashé carried a sign bearing a verse from Revelation on one side and emblazoned with “The end is near” on the other.
“This does not mean the end of the world. The end is near for this evil system of technological monopoly-financed capitalism,” Ashé said.
The protesters cried out for the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, of El Salvador, who was mistakenly deported from the United States in March due to what the Trump administration called “an administrative error.”
Support also was shown for Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil and for Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk, whom Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained after she co-authored a campus newspaper op-ed about Gaza.
Christine Yovanovich, of Columbus, stated her reason for attending the rally succinctly: “Just democracy.”
Yovanovich, who has attended protests and marched for women’s rights in the past, said she fears for her future, as well as that of her grandchildren.
“I think Trump is eroding our democracy. He wants to be a dictator,” she said. “It’s very frightening. I’m scared.”
Belinda M. Paschal can be reached at bpaschal@dispatch.com.