Protesters filled Railroad Park in Birmingham on Saturday afternoon to protest recent actions by the Trump administration. Speakers railed against deportations, along with federal staff and funding cuts.
The event was part of protests across the country under a theme of “No Kings in America.” The protests, organized by the 50501 movement, was held on April 19, the 250th anniversary of the battle of Lexington and Concord, an early fight in the Revolutionary War.
Protestors chanted “Down, down with mass deportations. Up, up with liberation.”
They sang along to a cover of “This Land is your Land” by Woody Guthrie, and booed policy moves made by the Trump administration. Many had handmade signs opposing a “King” of the U.S.A and supporting continued democracy. Some carried American and LGBTQ+ flags. One protester placed an upside down American flag beside the stage.
One attendee, Mary Bentley, dressed up in an American Revolutionary War uniform, in keeping with the theme of the day.
“Everything (Trump) does, everything he’s doing is destroying our country and it’s hurting people,” Bentley said.
She added that she was a Republican for decades but changed her vote in 2020 and 2024 to oppose Trump.
Several attendees, including Carol Binder, worry that the president is behaving like a dictator and ignoring the law.
“I’m here today to protect and save our democracy,” Binder said. “What’s been going on under this administration is frightening.”
Marilyn Williams, was not optimistic that the protest would change anything on a federal level. But she said it would show others in the country that they are not alone in being concerned. She added that people should keep speaking out and trying to reach their representatives.
“I never thought that I would ever be in fear of losing the democracy of my country,” Williams said. “But we are today.”