Opponents of President Donald Trump’s policies, which many see as threats to democracy, rallied Saturday in downtown Hopkinsville, as part of hundreds of weekend protests planned across the country.
Around two dozen people gathered at noon on the West Ninth Street sidewalk next to the Christian County Justice Center, holding protest signs for passing traffic. Their messages read “Hands Off VA Benefits,” “DOGE Not Welcome,” and “Democracy Now, Democracy Forever.”
Victoria Keith of Christian County started the “Hands Off” rally with a Facebook post related to the 50501 Movement, which stands for “50 protests, 50 states, one movement.” The organization’s first major event, held earlier this year, focused on protest rallies in all 50 state capitals.
“It is exciting to see so many people come out on such short notice,” Keith told the Hoptown Chronicle.
Keith said she spread the word on Thursday, inviting people from Kentucky and Tennessee communities near Hopkinsville to join her.
“I needed to do something—even if it was small. “This was impromptu,” she explained.
Keith was a member of the Pennyroyal Indivisible group, which formed following Trump’s first election in 2016, but the group became less active after Joe Biden’s election in 2020. She said the White House’s recent action to deport immigrants, particularly Kilmar Abrego Garcia, prompted her to organize a rally.
Others cited massive reductions in federal agency workforces, which were carried out by Trump adviser Elon Musk at DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency).
Barb Edwards arrived from Clarksville. Her sign said “No King,” alluding to concerns that Trump is abusing presidential power.
Edwards, a retiree, said she attended the rally “because in my lifetime, we’ve never been so close to losing our democracy.”
“We have a president who is defying due process — and our Congress, so far, doesn’t seem to have anyone willing to stand up to him.”
Edwards, 66, said Saturday was the first time she had ever attended a political rally.
The area outside the Christian County Justice Center is frequently used for marches and political rallies in Hopkinsville. On July 4, 2022, an estimated 100 abortion rights activists rallied to protest the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Another rally against police brutality drew over 250 people outside the Justice Center on May 31, 2020. Several dozen women dressed in white marched from the old courthouse to the Justice Center on August 18, 2020, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which granted women the right to vote.
