Women's March on Cleveland: Thousands Gather in Public Square

CLEVELAND, OH - They came from all over Northeast Ohio. They carried signs saying things like, "Still Nasty" or "A Woman's Place is in the Resistance" (that one had a picture of the late Carrie Fischer on it), and most popularly "Women's Rights Are Human Rights." They were white, black, Latino, Asian, straight, queer. They repeatedly said they were there to defend women's rights and human rights.

The Women's March on Cleveland, a sister march to the massive protest the Women's March on D.C., hit Cleveland's Public Square on Saturday morning. The protest was peaceful throughout, with none of the violence that has marked similar rallies throughout the nation.

A slate of local female legislators spoke to the crowd, rallying them into a joyful frenzy. Nickie Antonio, Minority Whip, District 13, Marcia Fudge, U.S. Representative, 11th District of Ohio, and Marci Kaptur, U.S. Representative, 9th District of Ohio, were a few of the speakers.

The crowd was so massive that it spilled off of Public Square. Protesters were massing around the newly installed ice-skating rink, climbing towards the Sailors and Soldiers Monument, and collecting near First National Bank, Key Tower, and the Old Stone Church. The sheer mass of people and signs (a few that skewed R-rated) obscured most of the speakers, and the far reaches of the crowd had a hard time hearing what was being said from the stage.

It didn't matter. The protesters, the majority of whom were women, were basking in the solidarity, finding unity in the moment.

Watch the Washington D.C. Protest Here

Among the Protesters: What They Were Saying

"We want to send a message. We are anti-Trump. We are pro-women," said Judy Coleman and Jan Kinson, who had both driven from the Brecksville-Broadview Heights area to arrive at the protest.

One of the speakers tried to lead the rally in a rendition of "This Land is Your Land," the Woody Guthrie song which is so often played at protest events. Unfortunately, the crowd beyond the main stage couldn't hear what was being sung, only that something vaguely sounding like music was being played, and clapped their support instead of belting out Guthrie's lyrics. The failure of the song to catch-on didn't seem to dampen the spirit of the event though.

Get Updates from Sister Marches Across the U.S. Here

One woman who did not hear the attempted song, was Lauren Vachon, a Kent State University teacher who had driven up from the Homeworth (population: 481) area for the rally. She carried a sign that read, "I'm queer. What's your superpower?"

"The biggest reason I'm here is to voice my support for LGBTQ rights, rights for people of color, women's rights," she said. "We need stronger domestic violence legislation. We need legislators that listen."

A family of four was hanging around the outskirts of the event, chatting with the people around them. Their 9-year-old daughter smiled and lifted a "Love Trumps Hate" sign and then did a kind of dance. Her 15-year-old brother watched on. Her mother said the family had driven from Shaker Heights to be there.

"We believe in human rights," Brett Katz said. "What our children are hearing from Donald Trump is hatred, discrimination, and divisiveness. We want our children to understand and respect human rights."

Near Katz and her family was Debbie Hendrix, a 62-year-old retired school teacher from Akron. She was wearing a pink and white scarf that read "Planned Parenthood." Hendrix was quick to point out that she's actually pro-life, but believes that Planned Parenthood does a wealth of good in the community.

"We cannot get rid of Planned Parenthood," she said. "If you want to get rid of abortion, address the Supreme Court, not Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is so much more than abortions. We have to support women and the work they do for women."

Hendrix drove nearly 45 minutes from Copley to attend the rally.

A group that had a much shorter commute to the protest were Case Western Reserve University students. Three undergrads from the school were milling about on the green and discussing the rally. They were eager to explain why they were there.

"Being human means you should be here," said Marissa J. "You have to fight for your own rights."

Marrisa's friend, Sierra, echoed those sentiments. "Human rights don't seem like a priority for our newly-elected president," she said. "We have to let him know that you can't bully people. The people will fight back. We want equality for everybody."

A trio of retired Teamsters hung out near the back of the crowd. They wore Teamsters jackets and happily announced that they were "against Trump."

"I'm afraid they're going to cut our pensions" said John Kabeller. "I'm afraid they're going to cut Medicaid and Medicare."

John's wife, Joyce Kabeller, stood by his side. She wore an identical jacket and said she wanted legislators to listen. So far, she felt like no one had heard their voices. She hoped that this event would bring light to issues that effect everyone, including women.

Other Groups: Why They Were There

There were plenty of organizations that were showing their support for women's rights at the event. Unsurprisingly, the League of Women Voters had a strong showing. Right at 10 a.m., the start of the rally, they had more than 30 members present. They were expecting more to show up throughout the event and they were signing up new members on the spot.

While the LWV is non-partisan, they said they had heard a lot of disturbing rhetoric during the election and felt that issues they cared about could be threatened. Those issues include: climate change, women's rights, immigration rights, dark money in politics, and more.

Lynda Mayer, the Vice President of the Greater Cleveland League, said women from as far as Hudson or further south in Ohio were making the trip on behalf of the organization.

Planned Parenthood was on-hand handing out the aforementioned scarfs. They ran out of their hand-outs very quickly.

Over the roar of the crowd, a speaker could be heard shouting an encouragement.

"Women have the right to speak out. We can change the world," the speaker said. The crowd erupted into celebratory cheers.

Photos by Chris Mosby, Patch and Hayley Brown