Some community members spent their Presidents Day protesting against the Trump administration in front of the courthouse in Ellijay, sparking a counter-protest across the street.
Members of Gilmer County Democrats acquired the needed city permit for gatherings of 15 or more people to carry out a “people’s protest” on Feb. 17. Ellijay police officers monitored the demonstration.
Around 25 protesters held up signs reading “protect democracy now,” “no one voted for Elon Musk” and “hatred and greed don’t make good leaders” to drivers passing by. “Protect the Constitution,” “Trump is a felon” and “democracy not dictators” were some of the chants that could be heard.
“A lot of people have issues with the president, and I just wanted to let everyone say what they wanted to say,” organizer Britney Cofflin said. “We’re really outnumbered here [by conservatives], and sometimes it’s nice to see other people that are like you out here in support.”
Cofflin added that her main concerns with the Trump administration include Elon Musk having “too much control,” greed amongst billionaires and trans-rights.
The demonstration especially hit home for Kiva Slaven, who identifies as a transwoman. She lived in Ellijay for seven years and enjoyed the local LGBTQIA+ community, but it didn’t outweigh her feeling unsafe and obligated to move to Marietta.
“I have had my rights stripped away within the first week of [Trump’s] presidency,” Slaven voiced. “I already had my right to amend my passport, and potentially even my birth certificate revoked through an executive order. I can also no longer use the bathroom in any federally-regulated facility.”
“There’s just so much going on right now and it is a direct downtrend into fascism,” Slaven added. “It scares me … and I just want to try and do as much as I can to try and spread awareness or change a couple of hearts.”
Gilmer resident Mark Willard identified as a lifelong Republican, until he changed his vote in the November election. He shared his discomfort with Elon Musk’s government involvement.
“I am here because Elon Musk was not elected by anyone, and he has access to information that I don’t think he’s allowed to have,” Willard stated. “I believe he’s data mining information that affects me and other Americans.”
There was a mix of drivers going through the roundabout who honked and clapped in support of the “anti-Trump” signs, as well as those who flashed looks of disproval.
“I get the protest and people’s First Amendment right, but it’s not going to change the people’s right to vote and who they voted for,” Republican Amber Moss said as she walked by the protest.
By around 4 p.m., a group of five counter-protesters had formed across Broad Street, in front of the Assessors Office. They chanted “go Trump, fight, fight, fight” and held up a flag and sign reading “I voted for big balls.”
“We came to the city center and saw this mess, this nonsense over here, and thought that it was not a representation of Gilmer County’s voters … what we’re looking at over there is a very small representation of the county, what I call the counterculture … so we had an obligation as Gilmer citizens to come out here and represent some sanity,” Kimberly Reckles stated.
Protests against the Trump administration were held across the nation on Presidents Day, including larger gatherings in Atlanta and Washington D.C., amid Trump and Musk making significant changes to the federal government.
Slaven added that her purpose for protesting was to “show that you’re not alone in this, to show that you don’t have to sit there and take it whenever they are stripping your rights away, whenever they are actively doing things that are going to harm us. Things that are going to increase our grocery prices … things that are going to reduce the amount of Medicaid and SNAP benefits that a lot of people in Ellijay require.”