The demonstrators marched around the courthouse and waved signs with messages such as “Nobody’s illegal on stolen land,” “Vaccines save lives,” “Save our public schools,” “We didn’t vote for Elon” and “DEI should not die.”

As the protest unfolded, numerous vehicles honked horns in support of the movement.

It was part of the scheduled 50501 (50 states, 50 protests, one day) Movement, which called for people to gather at state capitols and protest the actions of President Donald Trump since taking office on Jan. 20.

Within 48 hours of seeing a 50501 Facebook post, Julie Lang began to organize the Marshalltown protest because she knew not everyone wanted to travel to Des Moines. She added that whether or not 50501 is legitimate did not matter, because the idea helped create yesterday’s Marshalltown march. She was inspired to put it together because of the political climate and the desire to protect immigrants.

Four people take time out of their Wednesday afternoon to join a protest at the Marshall County Courthouse. They were protesting various federal policies under President Donald Trump regarding immigration, DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and tariffs on neighboring countries.

“It’s going south and we want to make some positive changes,” Lang said. “This is our way of getting started on that.”

Overall, she was happy with the turnout.

“They were excited to be there,” she said. “Our city leaders were supportive because they knew there was no threat of violence, and Marshalltown rallies around its own.”

They were there for a variety of reasons, but all of those reasons were regarding recent actions of the federal government and Trump on immigration, DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and more.

Protesters

Tyler Lillibridge went to work early just so he could attend. His wife, Lydia, showed him a poster about the peaceful protest.

“Even though it’s not been a month since he’s been in office, it’s also created Constitutional emergencies,” he said. “He feels he’s got the power to do things that he doesn’t have to do. He feels like he can bypass Congress and decide how our money should be spent, even though that’s not his responsibility and the things he’s thinking of pulling funds for are things I paid for with my taxes and they are benefits we all deserve.”

Those were not even the reasons Lillibridge found the most concerning. What bothered him most is Trump’s actions to end DEI.

“They contradict the Civil Rights Movement,” he said. “There’s not a single bill or legislation or executive order that came out of the Civil Rights Movement that I don’t agree with.”

Lillibridge said people have been overlooked for jobs because of the color of their skin. DEI is a tool to keep rich people from giving jobs to unqualified family members in order to propagate more wealth, he said.

“For no good reason other than affording a third yacht,” Lillibridge added.

Dorie Tammen said she was at the protest because she is angry over the chaos, and sick and tired of Trump’s lies. She shared that her parents were born and raised in Germany and survived the Nazi reign. Cousins she has there are in disbelief over what they see in the United States.

“I remember my mother who said, when Donald Trump ran the first time, that he’s another Adolph Hitler,” Tammen said.

She is worried over people losing their jobs, over federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation not having enough people, which she believes will affect the safety of United States citizens. She is worried about immigrants being hauled away to Guantanamo Bay, which Tammen said is akin to a concentration camp.

“It’s got to stop,” she said. “I don’t know where Marshalltown could be without our immigrant population. They’ve opened businesses. They’ve restored homes. They’ve done a lot. They’re getting involved with our government and it’s great to see. I love it.”

Stating that there is a lack of common sense, Dylan Schumacher attended because he believes no one is “illegal” on stolen land.

“If we look back in history, at one point we all came from somewhere,” he said. “This land wasn’t vacant when we got here. For us to call other people illegal and try and kick them out for trying to better their life is just appalling to me. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. If that were you and your family, in a country filled with turmoil and poverty, run by cartels or bad people in general – if it were me and my family, we would be leaving the next morning.”

Schumacher, who compared Trump to a bully, is also concerned with the effort to eliminate the United States Department of Education (DOE). He said there should be a replacement program.

“I understand if programs are bad, we need to get rid of them,” Schumacher said. “If they don’t make sense and things aren’t adding up, I’m all for replacing things, but there needs to be something in place before we go abolishing things. That’s just unheard of.”

Education is huge for the youth. He said getting rid of the DOE and college student loans will only hinder their efforts to better themselves and make a difference in the world.

“Most of these kids can’t afford school,” Schumacher said. “My wife and I relied on student loans to get to where we are, because we came from the other side of the tracks. If it was not for those programs, we would not be as successful as we are today. I know there’s a huge chunk of people who resonate with that. It’s heartbreaking to see us take three steps backward as society, how far we have come to where we are now.”

People not willing to empathize with others, and to put themselves in other’s shoes, are detrimental to the advancement of society, he believes. There needs to be more understanding of what people are going through, Schumacher said.

“When we look back on this 30, 40 years from now, where do you want to tell your kids you were,” he asked. “I want to tell them the side of history I stood on and I stood for the people who were here alongside me.”

Future protests

Lang said they are already organizing future protests, and are planning for them to be monthly. They will be held at the courthouse on the first Wednesday of every month at 5 p.m.

“I think that time will work out better,” she said. “I am already starting to get the posters, especially for our minority community members.”

Lang encouraged others to attend a Feb. 26 rally at the Iowa Capitol and to call legislators to ask for an increase in public school funding.

Schumacher said he is absolutely ready to participate in further protests.

“We will be there to stand behind the people who stand behind us,” he said. “They make us and we make them. It’s a team effort.”

While some people might be hesitant to participate, Lillibridge insisted that these gatherings are peaceful.

If more protests are held, he said he and fellow Marshalltownians will be there.

“The more he screws up, the more we’re going to show up,” Lillibridge said.

——

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.