ASHLAND – A diverse crowd of Ashland area residents and Ashland University students gathered on Claremont Avenue in front of the university Tuesday evening to protest President Donald Trump’s 120-day ban on immigration.
More than 70 people held signs, chanted “Love Trumps Hate” and sang “America the Beautiful” while passers-by honked their horns in support.
Last Friday, the president signed an executive order that suspended all refugee resettlement into the U.S for four months and refugee resettlement from Syria indefinitely. He also suspended for three months entry by citizens of seven majority-Muslim nations — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — on immigrant or non-immigrant visas, including apparently people holding dual citizenship with other nations.
Organizer Sara Garska said she remembered when John Stratton would organize protests at the same location during the Iraq war. Stratton, who Garska considers a mentor and friend, was a former Ashland University professor, and was the founder and executive director of the Ashland Center for Nonviolence when he passed away last August.
“After learning of the recent events such as the burning of a mosque in Texas and of the shooting of individuals praying at a mosque in Quebec, I realized that it might seem like this is a hostile time and place for immigrants. I planned to stand where John stood to show that immigrants are welcome and safe here,” Garska said. “I had no idea it would take off like this, and I’m just speechless.”
Stratton’s widow, Dorothy, was among those gathered Tuesday night.
Erin Schaefer said she was demonstrating because even in a small town like Ashland this is an important issue.
“It’s important, especially being in the community that we are in, to have people understand that even though they think it doesn’t impact them, look, obviously we have such a diversity of people here, so that shows us that it does impact us. Even in our little town it does impact the people who live here,” Schaefer said. “We have the university that is multicultural, that has people from different countries, that has people of different ethnicities, religions. It’s important for us to show that we support them and that we are an accepting community. Fear is not going to define us as a nation and not as a community.”
Barb Phillips marched up and down Claremont Avenue, leading the demonstrators in the chants as darkness fell on the crowd.
“I believe in peaceful demonstration and we’re out here peacefully demonstrating, supporting our core values that are being decimated in just eight days,” Phillips said. “So I’m standing up. What does democracy look like? This is what democracy looks like.”
“Ashland is a loving group of people and what is happening in our government is wrong and thank God we have the right to stand up and shout peacefully at the wrong that is happening right now,” Phillips said.
Dana Awlia, an Ashland University student from Saudi Arabia, said she felt it was important to stand up and say that America should be welcoming to everyone.
“I want to spread love and equality and spread the message that all lives matter,” Awlia said.
Counter –demonstrators holding “Trump/Pence” signs and wearing a Trump mask stood on the opposite side of Claremont.
