The Saturday just before Master’s week in Augusta saw azaleas in bloom and the Saturday Market in full swing. In the midst of the typical springtime goings-on, a crowd of chanting voices rose above the murmur of the city.
“Love not hate makes America great!”
“Wanna know what all the fuss is? We’re standing up for justice!”
“This is what democracy looks like!”
This is just a snapshot of what took place on the morning of April 5 outside of Augusta’s City Hall building at 535 Telfair St., facing the traffic on Greene Street. More than 300 Augustans attended, according to Gayla Keese, who spoke at the event.
The Remove Reverse Reclaim protest in Augusta was organized by 50501 – a movement aiming to uphold democracy – and was a localized version of a larger anti-Trump protest taking place in Washington, D.C.
50501 protests sprung up across the nation on Saturday, everywhere from Milwaukee, Wis. to San Antonio, Texas.
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Inside the protest
Activists in Augusta raised concerns about everything from the potential dismantling of the Department of Education, DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) cuts and veterans potentially losing benefits. Others are afraid of cuts to Social Security and Medicaid.
“We are having some issues with our administration, they are becoming fascists, authoritarianism. And we are here to try to combat that,” said Amber P., co-founder of the 50501 movement. “Nobody elected Elon. Even the people who did vote for Trump did not ask for this.”
Amber P. said also that she sees the protest as a way for like-minded locals to build community.
“Things are gonna get worse. You’re gonna need the people in your neighborhood,” she said.
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A protestor talks patriotism
One protestor, Kathy, who refrained from giving her last name, said that she’s been calling her congress representatives every day for weeks and feels they aren’t listening.
“I’m concerned about democracy. I’m concerned that we have a government that isn’t paying any attention to the constitution and I think that’s wrong, and I think unless we stand up and say that, nothing’s gonna change,” she said.
Kathy said she is advocating for the country she loves.
“I am a very patriotic person,” she said, with a small American flag in the front pocket of her overalls. “That is part of the reason I’m here.”
“Frightened for the future of my child”
Dennis Myers, a veteran, pointed to his young daughter when asked why he felt it was important to attend the protest.
“Her rights, when she grows up. His too,” he said, pointing then to his son.
Myers had originally planned to attend one of the protests in either Atlanta or Columbia on Saturday; he said that he’d planned to attend local protests in the past but found that not many people turned out.
However, as they were driving, the amount of people participating in the Augusta protest caught his eye and prompted him to stop.
“We decided to come here, and I’m glad, because it gives me a little bit of hope for this town,” he said.
Protestor Whitney Civitarese shared her reasons for attending.
“I am a person who is very familiar with historical context and I pay attention to through lines from how we get from a past to now,” said Civitarese. “And everything I’m seeing is making me very, very frightened for the future for my child, for you know, my father who’s in elder care.”
The protest concluded in the early afternoon around 2 p.m.
