LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) - Members of the Allen County Democratic Party gathered Friday evening in front of the Allen County Courthouse as part of the 50-50-1 Movement’s “Defend the Constitution” national protest.
According to Allen County Democratic Party Chair Rochelle Twining, the purpose of the protest is to honor veterans and the U.S. Constitution they fought to protect. With the protest falling on the 81st anniversary of D-Day, Twining said the group hoped to highlight the importance of upholding the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.
At Friday's protest, we talked with a couple of veterans protesting about what changes they would like to see.
“Under the country’s current regime, we are losing constitutional rights. The right to due process is being offended daily by ICE and President Trump's deportation policies, which are horrible. Women have lost their reproductive rights under this regime, and all those things were once protected by our constitution. And so, we want our constitution to be the freedom that people have fought and died for,” says Rochelle Twining, Chairwoman of the Allen County Democratic Party.
At Friday's protest, we talked with a couple of veterans protesting about what changes they would like to see.
“I would like to see the services that are offered to the vet are increased a little bit. We need to have those improved. These people have earned it, so they need to make those better off, better care,” says Nancy Goens, a local veteran who is protesting.
“I would like to see things go back to normal, really. You know, it seems like we have a fascist government. We are out here fighting against that, you know, trying to reinstate due process. Due process is being violated, and we aren't going to stand for it,” says, Gregory Gaddy, a local veteran who is protesting.
The event was one of many held across the country, with 50 protests taking place in all 50 states under the banner of one unified movement.
