Correspondent photo / Chris McBride Environmental activist Susie Beiersdorfer, of Youngstown, had a message of “With Justice for All” during a President Donald Trump protest Sunday in Courthouse Square in Warren.

WARREN — Under a cloudy sky that threatened rain, a modest crowd still gathered Sunday in Courthouse Square for the latest “No Kings” protest organized by the local activist group Good Trouble Trumbull.

Organizers and participants described the turnout as smaller than previous rallies, but they said the message of resistance to perceived executive overreach remained undiminished. This protest had the theme “No Kings, No Cake” because Sunday was President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, as well as Flag Day.

The demonstration drew mostly older adults, retirees and longtime residents who said they felt compelled to show up despite the weather and the grind of sustained activism.

Many cited concerns about the direction of the federal government under Trump, including voting rights, constitutional protections, economic pressures and what some described as threats to fair elections.

Michael Swiatkwich, 73, a founding member of Good Trouble Trumbull, traced the group’s origins to Gary Tuttle, who began standing alone on the corner of West Market Street and Mahoning Avenue in Warren more than a year ago.

The group later adopted the name “Good Trouble Trumbull,” inspired by the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, who was also a civil rights activist.

Swiatkwich said affordability, freedom of speech and voting rights top the concerns he hears from people. He pointed to what he sees as efforts to restrict voting, including changes affecting black voters in places like Louisiana, where one of the state’s two black majority districts was eliminated in May.

Swiatkwich drew parallels to tactics used to consolidate power.

“Freedom of speech, basic constitutional rights…he’s violating them,” Swiatkwich said of Trump. “He’s taking some steps to circumvent or do whatever he can to restrict voting.”

Trump’s recent comments about the Washington, D.C., mayoral race, in which the president suggested looking into intervening over a disagreement with a candidate’s perceived socialist policies.

To Swiatkwich and others, the remarks heightened fears about the integrity of upcoming midterm elections.

“He will do whatever he can to feed his ego, to increase his power,” Swiatkwich said. “It’s almost like the 1930s … You can draw parallels between what Hitler did and what he’s trying to do. It’s scary.”

He acknowledged that sustaining momentum has been difficult amid what he called a strategy of “shock and awe” by overwhelming the public with a constant stream of controversies.

Yet the honks from passing cars provided encouragement, he said, showing a broader sense of support even if fewer people stood on the square.

“The young people have more to lose than everybody else,” Swiatkwich said.

Speaking to the visibly older crowd he said, “I’m from the ’70s … and it was nothing but the young people” protesting then. He suggested younger generations may feel more entitled or distracted by economic pressures, though he expressed hope that dialogue could bridge divides.

Among those standing on the corner was Susan Olive, 72, of Niles, who joined two other friends who arrived together to lend their voices. Each expressed their own personal fears about the state of the country.

For Olive, one of the heaviest concerns was the war with Iran knowing her son is serving in the military. She also feared the current administration was more concerned with profits over public services.

“Our rights are being violated and whittled away and I have children, grandchildren, and I want them to live in a democracy,” Olive said.

Susie Beiersdorfer, an environmental activist from Youngstown who has attended multiple No Kings protests, said she comes out “to be in community with people” and because she believes change starts locally.

Holding a sign reading “With Justice for All,” she pointed to longstanding issues of the government failing to protect communities.

“I’ve worked on anti-fracking community bills of rights, the SOBE pyrolysis plant,” Beiersdorfer said. “I’ve seen how our government is not protecting us … communities of lower economic class, they become a sacrifice zone.”

Data centers are growing concerns she had said threaten farmland, water resources and local environments while promising little benefit to residents.

The issue has drawn bipartisan pushback in some areas with critics opposing the use of eminent domain in order to build data centers.

Beiersdorfer also voiced alarm over recent FBI visits to voter organizations in Cleveland, Columbus and Boardman, describing agents questioning people about voter registration without warrants.

“That kind of stuff is getting worse,” she said, tying it to her fears about fair elections.

Maria Jukic, a Democrat running for Congress in Ohio’s 14th District, has attended multiple No Kings protests.

She described the gatherings as “collective community action and resistance to the abuses and the overreach of this administration.”

“People coming together, we hold each other up, we empower each other,” Jukic said. “We come together to show that we’re not alone in our distress at what is happening with our country.”

She said conversations at the event revealed worries beyond “kitchen table issues” like grocery prices, gas prices and housing.

Attendees also expressed worry over what they feel are threats to the Constitution, rule of law and social programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid programs she said are being targeted to fund tax cuts for the wealthy.

Data centers again emerged as a point of focus.”People do not want these data centers crammed down our throats,” Jukic said. “We know that it’s going to hurt the environment, use water and increase our prices.”

As a candidate, Jukic argued Congress has abdicated its role as a check on executive power and should use its authority over spending and legislation to protect everyday Americans.

“We all want the same things,” she said. “A fair shake, opportunity … clean air and water, and a future for our kids and grandkids.”

Kristen Rock, an attorney and candidate for Trumbull County commissioner. attended her second such event. For her, participation reflects a core American principle.

“This is the foundation of our country, based on the citizens expressing their opinion on important matters,” Rock said. “We’ve been doing that for 250 years.”

Locally she said that’s where her priorities are in terms of growing jobs, developing the workforce and strengthening the economy while also acknowledging the national backdrop.

“Everyone came here for their own individual reasons,” she said.

Organizers and attendees acknowledged the challenge of maintaining energy as protests stretch on, especially on a cloudy day that may have kept some away.

Yet they pointed to the honking cars circling the square as evidence that frustration runs deeper than the visible crowd on the Square.

Swiatkwich said he keeps going “one step in front of the other,” hoping for change and trying to engage even those who disagree.