Protesters at the southwest corner of Lincoln Road and Ludington Street in Escanaba hold American flags and signs expressing distaste for President Trump and ICE and support for Ukraine and checks and balances on Tuesday. Protesters have gathered on this street corner for one year now with a growing list of concerns. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

ESCANABA — One year since they first began demonstrations at the corner of Lincoln Road and Ludington Street in Escanaba, local protesters say that their mission is still to encourage the preservation of democracy. Though there is some variation in the messages, these activists are exercising their first amendment rights by expressing opposition summarily to the current White House administration.

While there are opponents, the Tuesday group said the majority of the feedback they’ve seen has been positive, and support has even increased as of late.

The first protest of this sort took place on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Most participants point to Escanaba man Dan Young as the main organizer, but Young explained that it wasn’t even his idea — he merely suggested something he’d read as a potential form of action that people upset with Donald Trump’s presidency could take.

Not long after the 2024 election, the Unitarian Universalist Association — an inclusive faith that names social justice as a core value — offered trainings and distributed some literature to provide ways that people could resist the administration. One idea was a regular meet-up, perhaps weekly — such as a “Take Action Tuesday.”

Young introduced the concept to the UU congregation in Escanaba, and soon after to the Delta County Democratic Party (Delta Dems). More attention was garnered after the “empty chair” town hall, representing not-present Congressman Jack Bergman, took place in March 2025.

“A lot of people there felt frustrated because they felt they had no input to this administration,” said Gerry Nelson of Bark River, who’s been a regular figure at the Escanaba intersection. “Bergman’s absent. He’s supposed to be our voice. He wasn’t.”

From last February to this one, the messages on the signs people brought have changed as events progress. At first, Nelson explained, a lot of outrage surrounded the pardoning of people who “attacked our democracy, attacked our Capitol. They were all freed. That kind of tells a story right there.”

The problems stack up, multiple people remarked.

“Every day it’s something new. It’s hard to keep up. You can’t have enough signs with this administration,” said Darlene Sawyer.

“It’s Venezuela, it’s drugs, it’s Greenland, it’s one thing after another, you know, and international law has been broken,” said Nelson. “Our Constitution has been run underground by this administration. It is a scary thing.”

Recently, signs have carried messages bashing ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

“We just want to see things happen differently. It’s not always what’s happening; it’s how it’s happening,” said Dave Adamini. “I don’t think the folks with the ICE signs completely object to, you know, people being removed if they’re here illegally; their main concern is how and why it’s being done this way.”

While everyone that participates in Take Action Tuesday has more or less the same goal — “everyone here, we love our country, we love our democracy, and we love our country because of our Constitution,” as Pat Freuh put it — they come from different faiths and walks of life.

“It’s an interesting cut of people from the community,” said Adamini. “I’m not a Democrat. I just don’t like what I’m seeing.”

He explained that it’s important to exercise free speech, and that protests have been utilized in the past to make lasting change.

In the 18th century, early American colonists protested the Stamp Act imposed by British Parliament, and their actions fueled the American Revolution. In the 1910s, suffragists marched towards obtaining the right to vote. Auto workers in Detroit initiated strikes that spread around the nation to fight against low wages. Mahatma Gandhi helped lead the people of India to independence using non-violent civil disobedience.

Young said the group in Escanaba will probably keep protesting until things change or people start getting thrown in prison.

Especially in the last six weeks, there’s been a shift in how the local Take Action Tuesday has been perceived, said Adamini. At first, about 70% of feedback was positive; now it’s closer to 95%, he estimated.

Young said that more people started participating over the summer, and “every week, we would get people who would just show up that we’d never seen before.”

Over time, a once-regular “heckler” stopped coming, Young said. And now the number of people against Take Action Tuesdays seems to have declined.

“A lot more people speaking out against what they’re now seeing,” Adamini said. “As a veteran, I see it as kind of a fascist movement, you know, on the government’s half — ignoring the court orders, and the way they’ve handled stuff, and going after their enemies, trying to control the narrative completely. So, I mean, you look at the definition of fascism, it’s pretty much textbook from what I’m seeing.”

Nelson said that freedom is hugely important, and that by controlling people with fear, freedom is lost.

“Freedom is really big. I have actually been lived in dictatorships and traveled to many dictatorships, and so I know firsthand exactly how they operate. …They operate with one word, and that is fear. If they can instill fear in you, they can get you to do what they want you to do,” Nelson said.

A few of the protesters wanted to shut down rumors that they’re being paid. They show up in all sorts of weather because they are passionate and want to make an impact — and they’re doing that, internally and outwardly.

“There is a real sense of community and friendship that has grown among those who regularly participate,” said Leah Belanger, president of Delta County Unified. Additionally, “it shows others who have similar opinions but are afraid to speak out that they are not alone.”

She added that the membership of Delta County Unified has increased from 100 to 400 since the protests began.

The group that gathers at the intersection isn’t one organized body, though. It’s a hodge-podge mass of individuals that has ranged from three people on a quiet day to over 70 on a busy one.

“In general, the majority of the protesters are Democrats, Independents, or people otherwise not affiliated with a political party.  As a group we do not necessarily agree with one another on every single issue and anyone is welcome to attend as long as they remain peaceful, respectful, and do not engage in illegal activities,” Belanger explained.

“Over the past year, our weekly Tuesday protests have grown steadily,” wrote Sawyer in an email. “Along the way, we have also been joined by individuals who strongly disagree. At times, we have faced hateful comments, hostile signs, and even instances of vehicles being driven at us. Still, I continue to show up – because it matters to me to be there on Tuesdays. I did not serve my country in the military, but believe this is a meaningful and positive way I can contribute. I do not feel the current administration is serving citizens in good faith. Instead, it too often reflects corruption, dishonesty, greed, and hate.”

On very cold days, demonstrators limit their time to an hour, from noon to 1 p.m., while Take Action Tuesdays take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. when the weather is warmer.