Staff photo / R. Michael Semple From left, John Heberling of Champion, Katie O’Hara of Canfield and Jack Bacon of Youngstown, and others protest along West Market Street in downtown Warren Monday morning. They were part of the Good Trouble Trumbull protest against the policies of the Donald Trump administration.

WARREN — About 60 people turned out on Presidents Day Monday to hold signs and make their views known for a Good Trouble Trumbull rally on Courthouse Square.

The Facebook invitation to the event was titled “Democracy over Dictators” and urged people to “peacefully demonstrate against the ‘would be king’ who refuses to be a president for all the People.”

It adds, “Let us show that we stand for the rule of law, due process and equal rights for all. We are pro-America, anti-Trump.”

Dottie Billock and her husband, John, of Cortland were holding signs at the demonstration that Dottie made, one of which said “We should not have to defend our Democracy from the president.” It was a reference to President Donald Trump.

When asked about it, she said “It’s hard to believe that in 2026, we are having to defend our democracy against the president of the United States. I never thought we would be here today.”

Dottie said her first “foray into activism” was the week after the May 4, 1970, shootings at Kent State University by Ohio National Guard troops.

“I was a teenager, and my neighbor was a law student. In the first protest after the shootings — why he asked me to go and why my mother let me go, I will never know — we had a lot of political people like the governor, mayors. And it felt like they heard us. And I felt like this was going to change things.”

She said she protested in the 1970s for women’s rights.

“The ’80s were kind of a calmer time. And in the ’90s, it started with” the killing of 12 students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Littletown, Colo. in 1999. She said she became active over gun legislation because of Columbine.

“Then it was women’s rights again. After the 2016 election was my first women’s march,” she said.

As for the presidency of Donald Trump and his policies, she said, “Part of me feels disillusioned that so many millions of people are marching and protesting and there are so many who don’t know what is going on. I’m not ready to give up though.”

When she was asked how important the killings of protesters in Minneapolis by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in January were to her, she said that was “huge, as well as, of course, the Epstein files, as a woman especially.”

She was referring to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced and now deceased financier and well connected child sex offender. The investigative files into his conduct have generated great controversy and fallout for people associated with him.

She said, “My thing is we can’t let any of it go. We can multitask. We can be angry about more things than one.” She mentioned that in addition to the Epstein files, she is concerned by “How this administration is thumbing their nose at our Constitution.”

Bob Haas of Warren, who is retired, said he and his wife were out demonstrating Monday “for ourselves, but we are also out here for our kids and our grandkids. Our time is running short.” He said anyone guilty in the Epstein case should be prosecuted no matter who they are.

Linda Beca of Howland said she was demonstrating Monday because it is concerning that many people don’t want to pay any attention to what Trump is doing. She said many people say, “‘I don’t watch the news. I don’t watch the news.’ That’s all they say. They want to lead the life they have, and they don’t understand how this is going to affect their life in so many ways.”

She said she knows others who “want somebody else, like Minnesota, to take care of it. I think they did a phenomenal job.” But she said she is still concerned about the children of immigrants and how they are treated.

She said the current administration says it is looking for people who are in the country illegally who are “hardened criminals. I have not heard one they have caught and put in prison. It’s very upsetting.”

She said she has voted Republicans for local political offices, “But I told the last Republican I voted for in Trumbull County, ‘You are probably the last Republican I am going to vote for unless things turn around.’ Why would you vote for a Republican again when all they are going to do is cow-tow to the current administration?”

She said she has a lot of friends and family members “who I call uniformed,” adding, “It’s just sad that people can’t see what’s happening.”