Thousands mark Fourth of July protesting Trump policies and 'Big, Beautiful Bill'
Organizers coined it the 'Ohio Protest' as it drew participants from across the state including Cincinnati, Cleveland, Toledo and Akron. The protest was part of a nationwide series of rallies organized by 'Ohio 50501,' symbolizing 50 protests, 50 states, and one movement.
The heat and the holiday did not stop close to 3,700 protesters from speaking up to protect their freedoms. They said they don't like the direction our country is heading.
Trump signs 'big, beautiful bill' into law
'We are not happy with how this country is being run. Not just present level but all the way down through,' protester Staci Hoalcraft said.
Chants of 'When your rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand, up fight back.' filled the air as demonstrators carried signs with messages reading 'equal rights for everyone' and 'hands off our democracy'.
'Independence Day, it's all about freedom,' 50501 lead organizer Madison Tracy said. 'It's all about liberty and justice for all. And we are seeing some of those freedoms and some of those liberties being taken away right now.'
The protest comes on the heels of the House passing President Trump's signature tax cut and spending bill Thursday. Trump said after the bill was narrowly passed, he believes he has 'more power' now than in his first term.
'This week's been crazy with the bill passing and Alligator Alcatraz,' protester Kimberly Eble said. 'It makes you want to come out and just make your voice heard and take action and do what you can to change things. Its been a really crazy five to six months.'
Demonstrators voiced concerns over various issues including the protection of Social Security and Medicaid.
'It's just the injustice,' protester Jason Hoalcraft said. 'We feel like there's just too many things going on that Trump is trying to do and trying to put in play that just needs to be stopped. It's just too much. We've had enough.'
Protesters said while this is not the America they know and love, seeing people stand united gives them hope that things can change down the line.
'It just restores your faith in humanity to be around people that are also saying that they want equality. They want immigrants to be taken care of and not deported in heinous ways and everyone deserves due process so it's just important for us to support each other,' protester Leslie Augst said.
The next 50501 protest in Columbus is Thursday, July 17. It's being coined the 'Good Trouble' protest because it will mark five years since the passing of Congressman John Lewis. Protesters plant to take the streets to carry forward his fight for justice, voting rights and dignity for all.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Associated Press
34 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Mexico's president calls march against mass tourism 'xenophobic.' Critics blame government failures
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Near the end of the march, a group of protesters turned violent, breaking the windows of storefronts and looting a number of businesses. In one case, a protester slammed a butter knife against the window of a restaurant where people were hiding, and another person painted 'kill a gringo' on a nearby wall. 'The xenophobic displays seen at that protest have to be condemned. No one should be able to say 'any nationality get out of our country' even over a legitimate problem like gentrification,' Sheinbaum said Monday. 'We've always been open, fraternal.' The frustrations were built upon years of mass tourism and rising rent prices in large swathes of the city. The influx of foreigners began around 2020, when Americans flooded into the Mexico City to work remotely, dodge coronavirus restrictions and take advantage of cheaper living costs. In the years since, choice neighborhoods like Roma and Condesa, lush central areas dotted with cafes and markets, have grown increasingly populated by foreign tourists and the remote workers known as digital nomads, and there are more temporary housing units rented through companies like Airbnb that cater to tourists. As they have, rent and living prices have soared and English has been increasingly common on the streets of those areas. Some groups have described the phenomenon as a sort of 'neo-colonialism.' Mounting tensions The Mexico City Anti-Gentrification Front, one of the organizations behind the protest, it was 'completely against' any acts of physical violence and denied that the protests were xenophobic. Instead, the organization said the protest was a result of years of failures by the local government to address the root of the problems. 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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security took a jab at protesters Sunday, writing in a post on the social media platform X: 'If you are in the United States illegally and wish to join the next protest in Mexico City, use the CBP Home app to facilitate your departure.' Government failures Protesters' cries against government failures were echoed by experts, who said that surging gentrification is a product of both shortage of affordable housing in the city and longtime government failures to regulate the housing market. Antonio Azuela, lawyer and sociologist and others said that they do see the protest as a xenophobic backlash, and around 2020 the core of the problem was the influx of 'digital nomads' in the city, but it grew out of hand because of lax housing laws. 'What has made this explode is lack of regulation in the market,' Azuela said. Mexico City's government over the course of decades has made a few efforts to control development and create affordable housing. Legislators estimated there are about 2.7 million houses and apartments in the city, but it needs about 800,000 more. But such affordable housing developments that have popped up often are pushed off to the fringes of the city, said Luis Salinas, a researcher at National Autonomous University of Mexico who has studied gentrification in Mexico City for years. Taking advantage of 'insufficient' laws Controls, meanwhile, have been marked by lack of enforcement, which developers travel services companies like Airbnb take advantage of, he said. Today, more than 26,000 properties in Mexico City are currently listed on Airbnb, according to the Inside Airbnb, an advocacy organization that tracks the company's impact on residential communities through data. That's compared to 36,000 properties in New York City and 19,000 in Barcelona, where protests have also broken out. 'The government has treated housing like it's merchandise,' Salinas said. 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'They're going to have to do a whole lot more.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Slovak gunman who shot PM to go on trial
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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Independence Day Protests Planned By Activist Groups Across U.S.
As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day, several activist organizations with progressive and far-left affiliations are planning demonstrations across the country, including in Texas. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, activist groups have held a series of demonstrations in cities such as Los Angeles and Dallas. Organizers now plan to stage protests on July 4 under banners like 'No Kings Day' and 'Free America.' In Austin, near the Texas Capitol, a recent demonstration resulted in nine arrests, including one felony assault of a peace officer and multiple charges of resisting arrest, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. The Women's March organization and other far-left groups, including Indivisible and 50501, have scheduled demonstrations for July 4 in cities across the country, including several in Texas. The Women's March website encourages participants to gather 'on porches, in town squares, backyards, and streets' to 'stand for real freedom' and redefine what they describe as a 'Free America.' A protest planned in Denton, Texas, invites participants to hold up signs spelling 'NO KINGS' on an overpass. 'Signs are provided. Show up and grab a letter… we won't go back to living in tyranny,' the event listing reads. In South Dakota, the Women's March is hosting a pre-picnic demonstration. A flyer reads: 'Bring your friends, family, flags, and protest signs as we raise our voices against the ongoing erosion of our democratic values.' Promotional flyers include slogans like: The planned protests have drawn online criticism. Social media users have voiced opposition to the events. One user wrote, 'Go ahead and protest on America's birthday, and see how far that gets you.' Another user commented, 'These people despise everything that America stands for.' 'Every time there's a patriotic celebration, they try to counter it with protests,' a separate account posted. The Dallas Express reached out to Women's March and Indivisible for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
