Anti-Trump protestors gather in Williamsport

A few people arrived at the corner around 2 p.m., and throughout the following hour, passersby and people who had seen fliers for the event joined the group. 

The event’s organizer, Hunter Ames, a substitute teacher from Sullivan County, held a sign that said “WE WANT A TOWN HALL.”

“A town hall is when you call your representatives and you have them come back and you ask them questions about what they're doing in Washington, D.C.,” Ames explained. He named Representatives Glenn Thompson and Dan Meuser as faces he’d like to see at the proposed town hall.  

“We want them to come back, and we want them to answer our questions about why they're enabling Musk and DOGE to do these things, why they just voted to cut Medicaid and Medicare. The people here want these answers,” Ames continued. 

DOGE recently announced that Williamsport will be losing its federal Geological Survey office located on Hepburn Street. The agency cited $140,398 in total savings would be garnered by closing the office. 

Additionally, a House GOP proposal, which has since been passed, entails approximately $3.5 trillion in Medicaid cuts. Becky Ludwick, vice president of public policy for Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, recently expressed concern for the cuts, and acknowledged over 37% of children in rural Pa. rely on Medicaid coverage.

"It may be rural America. They may think that they'll always back them no matter what, but we won’t. We're angry, and obviously, see here today, a lot of people are angry and worried, and we want these answers now," Ames said. 

A woman yelled "Go Trump!" from her car as she waited for the stoplight to turn green. Ames responded, smiling, "We demand a town hall!" 

Online posts drew progressive group

Another face at the rally, Rob Barkley, explained that he was a member of an organization called Action Together NEPA. He described the group as "active in trying to be the progressive voice for rural areas throughout northeast PA because so often we are forgotten about, fully."

Action Together NEPA was formed during Trump's first term, and Barkley joined the organization last year, he said.

When asked how he was feeling, Barkley summed it up to "livid."

"I came today because one of my supervisors actually saw the post on Reddit. Like, hey, you're in that area, do you mind going? And here I am being pissed," Barkley said.

In the days leading up to the protest, several posts advertising it were made on a Reddit forum dedicated to the goings-on of Williamsport. The posts cumulatively received hundreds of upvotes and comments. 

"Standing together with the crowd we have is important. Being able to be here in unity is important, and being able to display that is important," Barkley concluded.