Several Montgomery County Council members joined dozens of protesters lined up along Georgia Avenue outside Silver Spring’s Leisure World Plaza on Monday afternoon as they held signs and chanted slogans opposing President Donald Trump and his administration.
As protesters chanted “We’re not going back!” and “hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go,” many drivers passed by honking their vehicle’s horns.
Leisure World residents Barbara Salkin and Juanita Sealy-Williams co-organized the event because they believed that many residents of the retirement community wanted to show their opposition to the Trump administration’s recent actions and the women wanted to channel that energy. The protest was one of many held in Washington, D.C., and around the country by those opposed to the administration’s actions, including the firing of federal workers.
“It needs to be done, not only here, but all across this country, because I believe that if we talk about governance of we the people, by the people and for the people, we are the people,” Salkin said. “We have to come out. Evidently Congress can’t do it, so we have to do it. We have to show that we have a backbone.”
Montgomery County Council Vice President Will Jawando (D-At-large) and councilmembers Laurie-Anne Sayles (D-At-large), Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1), Natali Fani-González (D-Dist. 6) and Dawn Luedtke (D-Dist. 7) were among those who protested.
“We have to be on the front lines protecting our residents from this fascist felon-in-chief and lunatic who is, I feel, a shadow president,” Sayles said. “I’m here to let my constituents know that I stand in solidarity with them. I’m pissed off, frustrated and will continue to resist.”
Luedtke said she attended the protest to show support for her constituents.
“I think it’s important to be out here showing support, showing the community that people are standing up and aren’t going to just sit here passively and watch our democracy crumble,” Luedtke said.
Sending a message
Salkin and Sealy-Williams are members of the Leisure World Democratic Club, and they sent information to approximately 700 residents on the club’s mailing list and posted flyers around the campus. They then decided to reach out online to anyone in the county who would be interested in participating.
While most protesters carried signs criticizing Trump or Elon Musk, the head of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, Salkin and Sealy-Williams said the gathering was organized as part of the National Day of Protest and participants were encouraged to share any messages relating to “resisting fascism” and “protecting democracy.”
Some protesters carried signs urging the protection of Social Security, job security for federal workers and continued freedom of the press.
“We just felt that we had to let people know that we’re not afraid,” Sealy-Williams said. “I’m tired of hearing people saying, ‘oh, woe is me.’”
Leisure World resident and part-time federal worker Christiane Drapkin, who attended the protest, told Bethesda Today she has been involved in political demonstrations since the 1980s, when she brought along her children in their strollers to protest the actions of President Ronald Reagan’s administration.
“It doesn’t end with a demonstration, but it feels great to find numbers. I’ve done too much doom-scrolling,” Drapkin said. “It shows that you’re not alone in your pain and in your grief and upset in the face of real danger for the country. Coming out here makes me feel so much better.”
Drapkin said not all of those driving past had been supportive – some drivers had frowned or given thumbs down to the protesters – but she believes that response is also part of democracy and free speech.
Laura and David Rutherford, who also were protesting, focused their dissent on Musk’s involvement in the federal government – Laura held a sign reading “nobody elected F-Elon Musk” and David held a sign encouraging a boycott of Tesla, Musk’s electric vehicle company, and X, the app formerly known as Twitter that Musk owns.
Laura Rutherford said she and her husband were excited for the opportunity to protest because “we have to do something. We can’t sit idly by.”
“Economic power is the only power we have,” David Rutherford said of his calls for a boycott of Musk’s products.
Leisure World resident Jane Barbara held a handmade sign comparing actions taken by the Trump administration to those of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich in Germany. When asked why she made it, she noted that “unfortunately history sometimes repeats itself.” She said she is concerned the country is moving in a “dangerous” direction.
“Our democracy is subverted by a few very rich people who want to decide who lives and dies,” Barbara said.
While most protesters were residents of Leisure World or their family members, other county residents also attended.
Melissa T., a Silver Spring resident who asked that her last name not be shared, brought her husband and two young daughters to the protest. She said she was interested in attending protests in Washington, D.C., but thought the smaller Georgia Avenue event was more appropriate for her elementary school-age daughters.
“Almost 250 years ago, we made it very clear that we didn’t want to live in a monarchy and fought a revolutionary war to ensure that that wasn’t how we were going to live,” Melissa said. “I personally am very scared about the idea of a president who wants to take us back there, who thinks that he has absolute power, that he can do whatever he wants, and that no one’s going to stop him.”
Melissa said she doesn’t share all of the details of today’s political news with her daughters because she doesn’t want to scare them. However, she said she wants them to understand their rights within a democracy.
“I want to instill in them what this country stands for,” Melissa said. “Hopefully it will help them to feel empowered as they grow into adulthood to look out for what’s wrong, and to say something when you see something that’s not the way it should be.”
