Lining the streets of the Wheeling Avenue and McGalliard Road intersection, anti-Trump protesters chanted and held signs expressing their concerns over the Trump administration Saturday, April 5.
The protest, organized by Muncie Resists, was part of a nationwide protest campaign, called “Hands Off.” Representatives from Muncie Resists suspected over 400 people were in attendance.
“Hands of our bodies,” “Hands off of cancer research” and “Veterans over billionaires” were a few of the signs held by protesters on the chilly, rainy day, while cars passing by honked in support or dissent.
As a whole, concerns over civil rights being attacked, a recession and Elon Musk’s involvement in politics, were common themes in the crowd.
Keith Hiatt, a 76-year-old farmer, and his wife Linda, 73, joined the protest because of their concerns regarding recent tariffs and the likelihood of a recession.
“We're not against government efficiency and trying to make it more efficient, but the way they went about it is all wrong,” Linda said. “You have to analyze people's jobs [and] find out what they do before you go in and kick them out.”
The Hiatts said this protest was the second they have ever participated in, the first being the Victoria Spartz Town Hall in Muncie March 29.
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“We've sat idle for too long, and it's time that we spoke up and said how we felt,” Linda said.
The couple also share economic concerns. With Keith being a farmer, he said he is concerned how the tariffs will affect his career, such as the price on grains and soybeans. Linda has concerns on her retirement fund account, and if she’ll have enough to last through the end of her lifetime.
Keith’s job concerns work in tandem with his personal thoughts.
“I’ve got empathy for everybody else too, because we're kind of all in this together,” he said.
Also in attendance at the protest was drag queen performer and born-and-raised Muncie local Aura Aurora, who joined after discovering it after driving by.
Filming a video on Ball State University’s campus, Aura was in full drag makeup.
“What better political ‘F you’ than being in full drag to help those voices around me be heard,” she said.
Aura said they joined the protest to make her voice heard as not only a drag performer, but also as a gay man.
“My life matters, all our other lives matter, the education system matters and that we aren't going to have taxation without representation within our government,” she said.
“We need to have representation within our government to be safe, to have our rights and freedoms if we're going to live in a country being free, everyone deserves that exact same opportunity to be free.”
Aura said actively participating in protests and similar movements to make your voice heard “is the only true way we’re gonna see change in our government.”
Contact Hannah Amos via email at hannah.amos@bsu.edu or on X @Hannah_Amos_394.
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