By Jessica Kenley

COUDERSPORT, PA — On Friday, August 14, residents gathered on the Potter County Courthouse Square in Coudersport to speak out against what they described as rising authoritarianism and fascism in the United States.

Holding handmade signs and standing along the square, about 50 protesters spoke out about democracy, government accountability, the economy, immigration, education, healthcare, the treatment of military personnel, as well as their concerns about the direction of the country.

For some, the demonstration was not something they had done many times before. In fact, several people interviewed by Monarch Media said they had rarely—or never—participated in a protest.

One man, Mick, told Monarch Media that he was there because he wanted people to better understand what fascism means.

“We’re just trying to get the word across what fascism is,” he said.

When asked how he would define it, Mick pointed to dictatorship, state control, and the suppression of opposing viewpoints.

“This is very important,” he said.

At 74, Mick said he had never protested before.

He also expressed concern about the erosion of checks and balances within the government, saying that those safeguards are essential to the way a democratic government is supposed to function.

“That’s the way government works,” he said forcefully.

For Carm Barker, 64, the motivation was similarly rooted in concern about the country’s direction.

“We’re just fighting fascism,” Barker said. “We’re trying to make people more aware of fascism and the steps that it takes to get to that final collapse.”

Asked whether Barker had ever witnessed anything comparable during her lifetime, the answer was immediate.

“Never, never have I seen this,” Barker said.

Barker also spoke about the rising cost of living, and uncertainty about the future.

“The prices are astronomical,” Barker said. “That affects me directly in my pocketbook.”

She said the uncertainty surrounding current events has created fear about what might happen next, including concern for members of the U.S. military.

“I do think we’re shifting to a different style of government,” Barker said with determination. “We’ve had this experiment for 250 years, and it’s time for a change,” she said.

She went on, “There’s a sickness in hoarding so much wealth that you [could] never spend it in your lifetime.”

Despite those concerns, Barker said she remained hopeful about the future.

Another protester, Elaine Butler, 71, described her motivation in deeply personal terms.

“I hate what’s happening in our country.” she said. 

“I am scared. I am sad at what they’re doing,” Butler said, describing herself as extremely “emotionally distressed” by the way she believes people are being treated in the United States. Choking up, with her hand over her mouth, she described the world her two-year-old granddaughter is growing up in.

Butler said she was particularly concerned about the treatment of military personnel and other issues she believes threaten the country. There has been recent talk in the media about soldiers abandoning ship–committing suicide, rather than to keep living in what they must feel are unbearable conditions.

“This is very important to me,” she said.

Butler had previously participated in a protest in Washington, D.C., concerning one of the nation’s wars around 25 years ago. She said the current moment was important enough to bring her back into the streets.

She also pointed to rising prices, book bans, and what she sees as threats to individual rights.

“It’s not America,” Butler said. “They are just going along with it…they are not even trying to stop it,” she added.

For another older protester, the demonstration represented a return to something he had done decades earlier.

The man, who asked that neither his name nor his photograph be published, told Monarch Media that he had previously protested on the same square in 1969 during the Vietnam War.

When asked why he had returned now, he simply said, “I’m old, but I’m not dead.”

That sentiment captured something that appeared repeatedly throughout the afternoon: people who said they had never considered themselves regular protesters felt compelled to show up because of their concerns about the present moment.

For another 33-year-old woman who asked to remain anonymous, the issue was partly about information and public awareness.

She held a sign reading, “Signs of fascism: Replacing science with ideology,” along with another sign, for her mother, that read, “Signs of fascism: Ignoring due process.”

“I just want to kind of let people know what’s going on a little bit because people seem to be in their bubble,” she said.

She said she believes the problem is partly one of information and partly one of people becoming accustomed to seeing things a certain way.

“It’s just when you grow up thinking one way, it’s hard to get out of that,” she said.

One Potter County Democratic Committee representative, Vice-Chair Brent Bryant, said the organization views rallies such as Friday’s event as part of its broader effort to remain present and involved in the community.

“Our goal as the Potter County Democratic Committee is all about presence and service in our community,” he said.

That presence, Bryant explained, includes rallies intended to mobilize people and give community members an opportunity to see where the organization stands, while service includes projects such as a recycling drive and efforts to help address medical debt.

Bryant said that the committee’s recycling effort had already raised approximately $400 at the time of the protest, with additional fundraising planned.

At the same time, he said that economic concerns were among the most pressing issues facing local residents.

“Day to day, I think everyone is seeing increases in costs at the … grocery store,” Bryant said.

He also expressed concern about potential effects on healthcare and education, saying there is considerable uncertainty about how families will make ends meet.

“People are very terrified that our hospital is going to dry up and blow away,” he said, adding that there are going to be “massive school funding and Medicaid cuts” that take effect this coming January.

“That was the poison pill that was put in with the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ that happened after the midterms,” he pointed out. 

Continuing, he said, “There is a lot of fear and…trepidation. People don’t know how they’re going to make ends meet. It’s getting tough.”

Bryant went on to say that while the economy is hitting places like Coudersport particularly hard, that we’re being told that, “The economy’s great…it’s the best it’s ever been…”

Bryant summed it up with, “Yeah–it’s great for the billionaires. It’s great for the oligarchs.”

Another protester, Irvine Saler, said he came to the square because of the direction he believes the country is taking.

Saler said he believes the United States should be helping other countries rather than turning inward, and questioned the political division he sees across the nation.

“I don’t think we needed to make America great again. It was already great,” Saler said. “We’re just making it Trump Country.”

Saler also emphasized the importance of understanding the information people consume and urged readers to examine their news sources critically.

“We’re all immigrants,” Saler said. “Everybody is.”

Saler also mentioned that his and his wife’s medical insurance had just jumped $100 per month–for both of them. His grandson’s college tuition went up as well, he said.

“We get a little Social Security,” he continued, “Heck, the Medicare virtually took what we got in Social Security! We’re all paying $75 a month more in gasoline…Last year, when [President Trump] said after he bombed [Iran] that their nuclear capacity was done forever. So why did we start a war? Because Epstein.”

About the counter-protesters, Saler said, “They’re screaming, ‘Trump, Trump, Trump, what has Trump done for you?”

Saler also said that he had some European family coming to visit the Potter County area soon, and that he was afraid for them. 

“What’s going to happen? ICE kills American citizens!” he exclaimed. “They don’t have anything to answer to. And why?”

Saler went on to point out that immigrants are, “…in our nursing homes, their in food processing, the hotel businesses, farming…they even took [a woman] over from that farm in Ulysses,” adding that the United States, “should have done something to make them citizens long ago.”

Saler concluded with a firm comment about the Republican Party, with, “[They] would have a fit if Obama did this! They would have impeached him already! A hundred times over!”

Throughout the afternoon, protesters also spoke about immigration, detention centers, education, healthcare and the environment. Several expressed concern about what they believe will happen to rural communities if healthcare resources, schools, and other services continue to face financial pressure.

Linda Klingaman, who was also present, spoke at length about the effects she believes federal policy is already having on families.

“We’re doing the same thing we’ve been doing ever since the 2024 election–trying to save democracy. And it’s getting worse. So we gotta fight harder.”

She pointed to rising insurance costs, food and gasoline prices, college expenses and concerns about the future of local healthcare.

“You can’t keep taking things away and expect it to stay,” she said.

The protesters were not unanimous in their individual priorities, but a number of themes repeatedly surfaced: fear about the country’s direction, concern about government accountability, economic hardship, protection of democratic institutions, and a desire to make other people pay attention.

There were also moments of disagreement from passing motorists.

At one point, a person driving past the demonstration shouted, “TRUMP FOREVER!” from a vehicle.

Because the individual was traveling through the area and was not available for an interview, Monarch Media was unable to obtain a statement from the person or conduct an interview with them.

Those attending the demonstration said opposing opinions are part of the democratic process, even when they disagree strongly with one another.

For the people standing on the courthouse square Friday afternoon, however, the important thing was making their own voices heard.

Some had protested for decades. Others said it was their first time.

And some simply felt that, whatever they had done before, this moment demanded that they show up.

Kay Saler may have summed it up perfectly, not using any political party at all. 

She said, “Why are we building a ballroom? Did Jesus do that? Did Jesus burn food that could have fed people who needed it? Did He call people names? Did He have pomp and circumstance?”

For this reporter, it seemed to sum up the entirety of the attitude at the protest.

Not one of a political party, but one of concern for the present, care for future generations, and the love of a country steered horribly awry.