Handmade signs on cardboard, American flags— Arlingtonians, some

in costumes and others wearing crowns --marched round and round

Welburn Square peacefully protesting the Trump Administration. Several

hundred people joined the nationwide protests on Saturday, Oct. 18 in

one of the many local demonstrations. The crowd of 300-400 ranged from

babies in snugglies to seniors in wheelchairs and everyone in between.

Jan and Ed Harkness are standing along the side of the square. Jan is

holding up a sign that says “Will We Still Have Scientists to Replace Me?“.

She explains she is from China. Ed says,” We met in Berlin where she was

getting a PhD in agriculture, and I was a diplomat with the State

Department.” Jan says, “I’m not really political but we wanted to attend a

low-key rally to protest the way Trump has behaved. He is corrupt and

really destroying American democracy. Now I wonder why I came to

America.”

Next to them along the edge of the crowd a small group accompanied by a

banjo is singing, “Think of your fellow man, give him a helping hand. Put a

little love in your heart.”

Wolin Sky, a resident of The Jefferson retirement community across the

street sits on a bench beside Melanie Ridney. Sky says he is trying to

protest what has been destroyed in our democracy. “It’s no longer what it

used to be, not even a little bit.”

Ridney says she is there because she is a member of the Daughters of the

American Revolution. “I have 22 ancestors that are connected. My father

fought in the Pacific in WWII. I lost an uncle in the war. A lot of people don’t

understand what they have here.” She added, “I don’t think any of us knew

how tenuous democracy was.”

A dinosaur passes by marching around the square. Soon a protester

follows holding up a “Fight Truth Decay” sign along with others “Immigrants

Make America Great Again” and “Melt Ice.”

Beverly and Bob Johnson, also residents of The Jefferson estimated they

had over 60 participants in today’s demonstration. The Johnsons have

come from the protest on the Mall where “there were rivers of people.” Bob

is a veteran of the Vietnam War and is appalled by the use of the military in

our cities. He says he is not a fan of the Secretary of Defense and his

favorite sign on the mall where they had been earlier in the morning today

was “Hesketh DUI hire.” Beverly says , “We are here protesting the

usurpation of our due process, the treatment of immigrants and the

weaponization of justice.”