KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Hundreds gathered Saturday afternoon at Mill Creek Park for a peaceful protest. Organizers called it a "pro-people" protest for human rights.
Abortion rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, immigrant rights and federal funding cuts were among the key themes displayed on protesters' signs. Many also voiced opposition to the Trump administration.
Holly Amicucci, one of the organizers, said the protest was about “helping people.”
“We're all here together to make a point about what's affecting us today,” Amicucci said. “Our country is in a real place right now of bad energy, and I think we all just need to love each other and work together to make this a better place. And that's about helping people and realizing that helping all people is what's going to make us better."
Karen and John Mortellaro held signs that read “Resist” and “We the People.”
“This is not the America we grew up in. The Constitution is being trampled on, and people are not going to stand for it,” John said. “We are the heart of America. We're showing that this isn't just a New York City or California thing — this is nationwide.”
Karen said she’s on Medicare and Social Security and is afraid of losing her benefits.
“I am really disgusted by what I've seen happening in our country now,” Karen said.
She said she fears for the future.
“My father was a World War II vet. I know what he went through. He fought so that we could have our democracy. To see someone in D.C. dismantling our democracy is a horrible thing,” said Karen, who is 72 years old and has been voting since she was in her 20s.
Another protester, Andrew McWilliams, shared the concern.
“Young people do not understand what happened during World War II ... They don't understand the countries that have been democracies and have slowly drifted toward a more authoritarian system," McWilliams said. "I’m 62 years old [protesting] like we used to do when something was going wrong."
Amicucci said many organizations got together for the march, including the Women’s Coalition, TransAct KC, KC Protest and Kansas City 50501.
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