From Washington D.C. to Perry Square in Downtown Erie, people raised their voices against decisions being made by the government for National Day of Protest.


Debra Feeney, the retired Head Nurse for the Erie School District was one of the people who spoke at the event. "I'm concerned about the changes they are making at the federal level and how it's going to affect our community and our nation", said Feeney.


She talked about issues close to her heart. According to Feeney, "It's important to express your opinions and your knowledge about what's going on in the government because at this point we are not being represented very well."


She's worried about cuts that could be made to the CDC, FDA, NIH, and even Medicaid. As Feeney explained, "There's a large population with the most vulnerable, who would be without care and without the ability to obtain care."


Other people talked about climate change, immigration, LGBTQIA rights, democracy and unions.

Although the half-hour long rally remained peaceful, a driver made his presence known by blaring his horn during different speeches during the course of the event.

About three dozen people participated in the event, some of them coming out for the first time, like Janet Kelley, who was interested in learning more about timely issues and getting involved too. According to Kelley,"You have to start acting locally and work your way up and I think that's why I came. We feel so disconnected especially after the pandemic. So this gave us the opportunity to at least come together with common cause."