More than 800 people braved wind, rain and frigid Saturday to gather outside the Washington County Courthouse to protest the Trump administration’s policies in solidarity with thousands across the country.
Storms that wreaked havoc on the state this week paused midday as Northwest Arkansas residents, ranging from children to retirees, lined both sides of College Avenue and received honks of support from drivers on the busy thoroughfare. Rallygoers held signs and chanted for about an hour and a half before marching to the Fayetteville Town Center on the downtown square.
The We the People Veto Project 2025 event was a continuation of local grassroots efforts to organize in opposition to President Donald Trump’s policies. Erin Killeen said she and a few other concerned citizens came together after the inauguration seeking to build community by hosting protests that also highlight existing community organizations that can provide local residents with information about how to become more engaged.
Killeen said their events have aligned with the 50501 Movement in an effort to amplify efforts at the national level. The 50501 Movement presented Saturday’s national day of action in partnership with the Women’s March and Hands Off.
“It’s a way to feel less alone, but more importantly, we also want to have information so that they can plug in in a more strategic, more structured way than just coming out and protesting, so that there can be that informed, lasting change that is really needed to shift and be part of the democratic process,” she said.
To connect local residents to community organizations and upcoming events like protests, Killeen said she and her fellow organizers have created a fresh website that can be a resource for those looking to engage.
Having lived abroad, Killeen said she wasn’t shocked, but disappointed to see the recent political shift in the United States, and is calling on elected officials to do their duty of upholding the Constitution.
“Hold the executive branch accountable. Do not allow for that executive overreach that is disempowering Congress,” she said. “That is dangerous for the future and the sovereignty of this nation, freedom of individuals and it goes against what the forefathers were trying to do.”
New Jersey U.S. Sen. Cory Booker energized 78-year-old Diane Manering this week with his record-breaking speech on the Senate floor. The Fayetteville resident said she’s been protesting since the 1960s, but “nothing has been this important” for her and her kids.
“I really found myself getting very discouraged, and I saw a lot of my friends getting very upset — [the] older generation because of our grandkids — and I’ve always been very passionate about the environment,” Manering said. “But to see what this administration is doing, harming people and the cruelty, I’m just not a cruel person. I’m a kind person.”
What federal cuts could mean for Social Security was top of mind for Trudi Rust of Fayetteville. The retired health care worker said she relies on social security to pay her bills.
“I earned this and they’re trying to take it away and slash it by somebody that’s not elected,” Rust said, referring to Elon Musk, a special adviser to the president. “…They’re hurting us all so that they can gain money and power, and it’s not right…I live on it. I pay my bills with it, and I earned every damn penny of it. I worked for over 50 years paying into Social Security.”
The Fayetteville protest coincided with more than 1,200 “Hands Off!” rallies planned for Saturday in Washington, D.C., state capitals and scores of other cities, according to The Associated Press via PBS.
Storms forced the rescheduling of a rally planned for the Arkansas Capitol steps in Little Rock until next Saturday, April 12, according to a Facebook post by Indivisible Little Rock and Central Arkansas. Rallies had also been planned for Fort Smith, Russellville, Monticello.
In Tennessee, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth spoke to about 800 people at Pearl Cohn Magnet School in Nashville, and about 1,500 rallied at Nashville’s Centennial Park despite the threat of storms, the Tennessee Lookout reported.
In South Dakota, thousands gathered in downtown Sioux Falls as part of the 50501 Movement’s rally, the South Dakota Searchlight reported.
Arkansas Advocate is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com.
