(PHOTO BY JESSE DAVIS, THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
FACING OFF … Protestors march along North Shoop Avenue in front of a group of counter-protestors.
DRESSING FOR THE OCCASION … A protester who declined to share her name shows off her sign and costume, taken from the popular show “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
OFFICIAL SUPPORT … Fulton County Democrat Party Chair Brian Von Wert addresses protesters during the “Hands Off!” protest.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
Rain, wind, and cold didn’t stop more than 170 protesters in Wauseon from joining with hundreds of thousands of others across more than 1,300 events in all 50 states opposing the efforts of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk on Saturday.
The local “Hands Off!” protest event, organized by volunteer Sarah Maxwell and Fulton County Democrat Party Chair Brian Von Wert, was held on the former Rite Aid property at the intersection of Airport Highway and North Shoop Avenue.
Before providing instructions on where and how to march and protest – and reminding them not to engage with any counter-protesters – Maxwell gave an impassioned speech to attendees, with repeated chants of “Hands off the government, it belongs to us!”
“Through the publicity, the news and online, this mobilization, politicians will be alerted that failing to oppose the madman felon will cost them our support,” Maxwell said.
“We face an unconstitutional attack on our country and our freedoms through an illegal power grab. Now is the time to make our voices heard and demand our lawmakers to use their power to hold madman felon and Musk accountable.”
Maxwell went on to say the actual waste, fraud, and abuse in government was not what was being targeted by President Trump’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, led by Musk, but the lie about Trump having a mandate.
She argued Trump did not win a majority of the vote, only 49.8 percent. For context, Kamala Harris won 48.3 percent of the vote, with the remaining 1.9 percent going to other candidates.
She went on to accuse Trump and his administration as well as so-called oligarchs of trying to destroy democracy, and said their movement was in line with the same people who fought in the American Revolution, Civil War, and World War II, among others.
“With all this strength here today with us, we fight the good fight to be good troublemakers and maintain the values that have inspired the world. Our rule of law, our representative government, government by the people, not by a wannabe dictator,” Maxwell said.
Von Wert gave his own address to the protestors partway through the event, commenting on Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-New Jersey) record Senate speech of more than 25 hours.
“It was not simply to break a record, but to remind us that democracy does not sustain itself,” Von Wert said. “It requires persistence, sacrifice, and an unshakeable belief that voices raised together can change the course of history.”
Protestors carried signs opposing actions to reign in government employment and spending, largely initiated through DOGE.
Many called for the deportation of Musk, called Trump a traitor and a fascist, and called for the protection of programs such as Medicare as well as LGBTQ rights. Many shouted out chants as they marched.
Most interactions during the protest were cordial with the exception of the occasional shouted profanity from a passing motorist and some friction between the protestors and counter-protestors.
That friction largely came between younger attendees of each group, including black-clad protestors who were loose and fast with their own profanity. None of the friction escalated past words, and those seemed to diminish as the protest continued.
Roughly a dozen counter-protestors waved Trump flags while blasting music from a small portable speaker. Among them were former Wauseon Mayor Jerry Dehnbostel and Robert Wilson.
“Why did I come out here today? To let them know that they just can’t run roughshod over other towns. Wauseon doesn’t have that big of a Democrat base. I’d say most of them are Republican and I think that we have to stand up for them,” Dehnbostel said.
Wilson said many of the protestors were there in opposition to Elon and Trump, which was not what the results of the election showed voters wanted.
“That’s what the American people, that’s what we gave them the mandate to do, is to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse. So, we want the will of the people to be enacted here,” he said.
“You see what’s going on around the country with them destroying vehicles and burn buildings down, commit all acts of violence.”
“This is a small town, it’s a good, conservative community. If we let this crap happen today and we don’t counter-protest it, they’ll be burning our cars and burning our police stations down next. We’re not gonna have that.”
Although organizers did not contact the Wauseon Police Department in advance regarding the event, they became aware of the event through social media posts and showed up to help control traffic in and out of the parking lot and to ensure civility. Chief Kevin Chittenden was among those watching over the event.
“Everybody’s been well behaved. We’ve got protestors from each side, but they’ve been civil, no problems at all so far,” Chittenden said, adding, “I don’t care what side they’re on as long as they’re peaceful and there are no problems, so I think everything’s gone well.”
Fulton County Sheriff’s Office deputies also drove past the event periodically. Other protests took place in locations across northwest Ohio, including one in Toledo in which protestors marched across the Craig Street Bridge.
Thousands of protestors took to the streets in major metropolitan areas like Boston and New York City, as well as in Washington D.C., where Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) spoke.
“What we witnessed today was nothing short of extraordinary,” Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn said in a statement released on the national event’s website.
“Across the country and around the world, people came together to say: we will not be silent while our rights, our futures, and our democracy are under attack.”
“This peaceful movement is powered by everyday people – nurses, teachers, students, parents – who are rising up to protect what matters most. We are united, we are relentless, and we are just getting started.”
The Fulton County Democratic Party has a “Pro-Democracy Protest” scheduled for the same location from noon to 4 p.m. on May 3.