Gianna Hayes
News Editor
Wooster community members and College of Wooster students gathered downtown on Monday, Sept. 1, for a Labor Day protest organized by a local coalition officially known as Defending Democracy, Wooster, Ohio. At the height of the protest, around 12:30 p.m., 250 community members and college students lined Market Square.
The protest began around 11:30 a.m. as community members with posters trickled in. Leaders of the coalition set up different tables with different functions — one table had water bottles, extra signs and bubble guns, another received food donations and another sported a portable grill which supplied protesters with hot dogs throughout the event.
The League of Women Voters (LWV) also had a table where anyone could register to vote. LWV is a “nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy,” per their website. Nearby, a few community members were collecting donations for the Ohio Center for Strategic Immigration and Litigation & Outreach (OCSILiO) and handing out flyers spreading awareness of the organization. OCSILiO is a nonprofit founded by lawyers in 2020 and provides legal services to immigrants, especially those detained in detention centers.
Defending Democracy is a local group that regularly organizes protests and meets to discuss political advocacy — including for LGBTQ+ issues, immigrants lacking permanent legal status and against food insecurity. Per their mission statement, they are “a nonpartisan Facebook page that values the rule of law, separation of church and state, the checks and balances of the branches of government, both state and federal, the importance of an independent judiciary, as well as a Department of Justice.” At the main table, a placard with a QR code leading to the Facebook page was displayed alongside a sign-up sheet where individuals could write down their email to be added to a weekly newsletter that shares local and national protests.
Most protests organized by Defending Democracy organize food drives, and food is distributed throughout Wooster at various community pantries. “[It’s the] culture of these rallies,” said Scott Friedhoff, one of the organizers working the food donations table. He also mentioned it was a way of “tamping down any potential anger from the other side.”
Protesters held signs, blew bubbles and shook tambourines or cowbells. One individual used a bucket as a drum. Some signs read “DHS Has Become AMERICA’S own GESTAPO,” “WORKERS OVER BILLIONAIRES” and “ICE = BROWN SHIRTS OF WWII.” Other protesters wore variations of pride flags, Black Lives Matter flags or American flags. While protesters lined the corners of Liberty and Market streets, many cars drove by and voiced their support by showing a thumbs up or honking their horn — a few had placed signs in their windows.
Many protesters had very specific reasons for protesting. Ian Burns, a Wooster community member, was collecting signatures on behalf of Democratic Socialists of America to “campaign locally against the county’s investment in Israel bonds.”
“We think that that money should be … spent in the county to help our schools, to help our teachers, to help our healthcare — not investing in blatant acts of genocide and the starvation of 2 million Palestinians currently and the ethnic cleansing of that same population,” Burns said.
Per the Ohio Treasurer’s County Investment Report as of June 2025, Wayne County has invested $1 million in the government of Israel and has not received any return on investment. The State of Ohio has invested “$262.5 million in Israel Bonds, maintaining Ohio’s standing as one of the largest government investors in these bonds in the United States,” per Treasurer Robert Sprague’s press release this past February.
Other organizers protested due to their general concerns about the Trump administration.
“Quite frankly, the current administration is tearing apart this country,” Grady Gunselman ’27 said. “The economy hasn’t gotten better, workers’ rights are being eroded and people are being persecuted for basic things like freedom of speech or coming to this country to work legally.”
Gunselman was one of several College of Wooster students who also gathered to protest various issues. Ruhee Mehta ’26 expressed concern for international students, saying, “it’s not safe to come here if you aren’t born here at this point [in time] … so the people who can exercise free speech … should be doing it.”
“It often feels like I don’t really know what to do, so I’m just going to do the little things like coming today because it … gives myself agency,” Michelina Guerra ’26 said.
Organizers began tearing down around 1:50 p.m., as protesters had slowly been leaving Market Square by 1:30 p.m.
