Less than a mile away from kids playing in bounce houses and parents sampling food truck fare at College Park Day on Saturday, dozens of protesters stood on sidewalks along Route 1 holding signs with anti-Donald Trump messages.
About 1,500 Indivisible Route 1 Corridor members and their allies gathered along Route 1 communities from College Park to Mount Rainier for the event, according to Laura Usher, a co-leader of the group that organized the local arm of the No Kings Day protest.
No Kings Day, a nationwide event that drew millions of protesters from Los Angeles to New York City, was an effort to show that the United States is governed by the people and not dictators, Usher said.
The purpose of the Route 1 event was to stand up for democracy, free speech and immigrants, said Usher, who added that the community has faced ICE raids and has been affected by the ongoing federal shutdown.
“Everywhere you go along Route 1, we have really been a target of the Trump regime,” Usher, a Hyattsville resident, said. “At the same time, we wanted to show solidarity for each other, and show that when we come out and speak and stand up for ourselves, we are doing that as one big group, one community, and we support each other.”
In College Park, dozens gathered at the entrances to the University of Maryland campus and Trader Joe’s, holding signs protesting issues from ICE raids to health care.
Blaine Rivas, a resident of College Park’s Old Town neighborhood, held a sign saying, “We support immigrants” and “Together we are strong” in Spanish. Rivas’ father emigrated from Mexico. For him, it’s personal, Rivas said.
“I’m here because I love my country,” the Indivisible Route 1 Corridor member said. “I’m here because I want to defend the rights of immigrants, the rule of law. Everything is just crazy these days, man. People are being pulled off the street. They’re being racially profiled. American citizens are being taken and abducted and put in prisons and their families can’t find them. It’s ridiculous to me.”
Protesters came to the College Park rally from Hyattsville, University Park, Silver Spring and beyond.
University of Maryland graduate student Lixin Zheng said this is the first time he has ever protested.
The Greenbelt resident said it’s important for people to get out and show support for others.
“I feel like I’ve been concerned about the future of this country and just felt like I need to do something,” Zheng said. “I don’t know how much this will accomplish, but I think it’s better than just being at home.”
Retired couple Dana and Lise Nau came from Beltsville to voice their concerns about how the Trump administration is running things.
“It’s like we’re flying in an aircraft at 30,000 feet, and somebody is pulling out random pieces from the engine,” Dana Nau said.
Lise Nau said she was never much of a protester but said it’s time for her to do so.
“Now I’m getting off my butt because I see that you can’t take certain things lying down, and things have already gotten way, way out of control in this country,” she said.