MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Lake Superior Indivisible group joined the millions of other groups nationwide for the Hands Off rally to voice displeasure with the Trump administration. The protesters came from all walks of life and all ages. Mike Anderegg thought his days of activism were over.
“It’s been a long time since I felt the need to be in a demonstration, but today I did,” said Anderegg.
The “Hands Off” demonstrations were held in every major city and in small towns nationwide. For organizer Brian Wallen, the crowds in Marquette were more than he expected.
“I’m blown away by the number of people that turned out today. I think we have an incredible community,” said Wallen..
The issues of concern were as varied as the crowd: the economy, human rights, the environment, and support for the arts. Each person I spoke to had something they were alarmed about. Cheryl Anderegg was a teacher for 30 years and is demonstrating in support of libraries.
“The cuts to the Department of Education are just devastating for me and the libraries. That’s another thing that’s just been, you know, hit me right at the heart,” said Anderegg.
Although counter demonstrators showed up and stayed on the periphery, The day unfolded peacefully, something Brian Wallen was happy to see.
“For us, it’s really important to keep kindness and inclusion at the forefront of what we’re doing,” explained Wallen.
Though no official count was made of the crowd, some estimates were as many as 3500, while others put the crowd size at around 1000 people. Either way, it was a sizable number of people all exercising the most fundamental of rights.
