Crystal River resident Kent Barkhouse stands side by side with his daughter, Jody Neermann, flashing their double-sided signs to the street and fellow protesters behind them. Not pictured was Barkhouses’ wife, Joey and their little dog, Mocha, who came out to support. (Teal Garth/WUFT News)
Thousands across the country marched Saturday in solidarity with the national Women's March on Washington, and Gainesville locals were no different. The Gainesville chapter of National Women's Liberation, one of the organizers of both the march and today's #womenstrike movement, organized a protest outside of Hobby Lobby on West Newberry Road.
The organization chose to protest in front of Hobby Lobby because of the poor treatment their workers receive and their stance on not allowing birth control as part of health insurance makes their business a symbol of the corporate, anti-woman agenda of the new administration, according to Candi Churchill, an event organizer.
Mark Lawrence, 52, sits in a lawn chair at the shopping center entrance and waves a different version of the American flag. Instead of 50 white stars, Lawrence’s flag is adorned with company logos to represent his view of who really runs the country. (Teal Garth/WUFT News)
Kathie Sarachild shares a colorful message about her uterus. Sarachild is a member of the National Women’s Liberation. (Teal Garth/WUFT News)
Dana Vold, 29, holds his protest sign in front of the crowded sidewalk on Newberry Road. He explained that his sign referred to the Moral Majority political party of the 1980s. “The real moral thing to do is to oppose this government,” he said. (Teal Garth/WUFT News)
Crystal River resident Kent Barkhouse stands side by side with his daughter, Jody Neermann, flashing their double-sided signs to the street and fellow protesters behind them. Not pictured was Barkhouses’ wife, Joey and their dog, Mocha, who came out to support. (Teal Garth/WUFT News)
Amy Coenen, a member of National Women’s Liberation and the Women’s Strike, walks the line of protesters, encouraging them and passing them bottles of water. “We’ve got three different events coming up next month,” Coenen said. “In less than four weeks, we had 7,000 women from across the nation and around the world sign up for our strike.” (Jordan Milian/WUFT News)
Protester Christine Bruels poses with her anti-Trump sign. “We will not accept assaults on our rights,” Bruels said. “We will not accept going back 50 years.” (Jordan Milian/WUFT News)
Lynda Harris, a representative for National Women’s Liberation, signs a protester up for the organization’s emailing list Saturday afternoon. “It’s not just about women,” Harris said. “It’s about education, it’s about our climate, it’s about the future of our nation, and it’s about our children.” (Jordan Milian/WUFT News)
Protesters spread out and make their way down the sidewalk along West Newberry Road Saturday afternoon. Though the protest was scheduled from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., people stayed longer, holding signs and getting honks from drivers passing by. (Jordan Milian/WUFT News)
Protesters greet oncoming traffic in front of the Burger King near West Newberry Road and Northwest 62nd Street. (Jordan Milian/WUFT News)