Protestors lined High Street Aug. 9 in protest of a wide variety of Trump administration policies.
The event aimed to form a human chain along an 8-mile stretch of High Street between downtown Columbus and State Route 161 in Worthington. Turnout appeared to fall short for that — in the Short North, protestors clustered on each block, but did not link hands — but organizers said they believed thousands attended.
Protestors who spoke to The Dispatch had a long list of issues with the Trump administration. They spoke about cuts to Medicaid, the push for deportations and the camps built to house detainees, the Supreme Court, corruption, misinformation and much more.
According to a lengthy statement of values, organizers opposed cuts to national agencies, tax cuts for the rich and military aggression against Ukraine, and supported continued international aid to countries in need, Medicare and Social Security programs, climate change research and regulations and the rights of immigrants, among other causes.
Many people who participated in the protest were concerned less with these individual causes than the overall increase in presidential authority under Trump. They said America is moving toward fascism.
“Wake up, Columbus!” yelled Brenda Taylor, a Granville resident, waving an upside-down American flag.
Flying a flag upside down is a maritime distress signal sometimes used by sailors.
“Today is about democracy over a dictatorship,” Taylor said. “People ask, why didn’t they do something back in 1938, when everything was happening with fascism and Hitler? This is what we need to be doing. … It’s happening now.”
Organizers, including Indivisible Central Ohio and the Westerville Progressive Alliance, called the event “the final big resistance event of the summer before the beginning of the new school year.”
About 8,000 people were needed to form a chain without breaks, organizers estimated before the protest. In the Short North, there were not enough people for a chain, but people clustered cheerily in groups on each block. They rang cowbells, held signs and shouted slogans to passersby.
Passing cars honked and waved in support. A few people expressed disagreement; one teen boy, seeing a sign reading “protect trans kids,” yelled “protect straight kids!” before continuing on.
Taylor and other protestors who spoke to The Dispatch said that they did not frequently protest before Trump was elected. They became alarmed during his first and second election. Several did not want to provide their full names, concerned with safety.
Jackie Wilson, also more politically active under this administration, brought a sign reading “no kings” and “no oligarchy.”
“It’s the corruption, the cruelty, the incompetence, the tariff chaos,” Wilson said. “It’s the masked men swiping people off the street and sending them to God knows where. … They’re messing with our public schools, our universities, the environment.”
Protestors also expressed fears for the next generation or their own future. Taylor said she is retiring soon and worries for her family’s financial future. She has worked since she was 15, she said.
“I’m going to be retiring in the next five to seven years, and what does that look like to me?” Taylor said. “Will there be anything for me to be able to rely upon?”
Public safety and breaking news reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Thousands attend ‘Hands Along High’ protest against Trump administration on High Street
Reporting by Bailey Gallion, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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