Susan Walker puts out small American flags at a table urging people to register to vote Saturday at the “Community Fest – Celebrating Flag, Freedom and Our Constitution” event held Saturday at Muskingum Park in Marietta. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

MARIETTA — People were reminding the community what it means to be American in Marietta on Saturday.

Living Democracy Engaging Citizens put on “Community Fest – Celebrating Flag, Freedom and Our Constitution” held at Muskingum Park while a “No Kings Rally,” which was part of the Nationwide Day of Defiance to protest the policies of the administration of President Donald Trump, was held in another part of the park.

Living Democracy: Engaging Citizens is made up of Washington County residents who want to help the community understand how the government works and how important the Constitution is, said Betsy Cook.

The group handed out free copies of the Constitution and held a number of activities that tested people’s civic knowledge, how to engage with their elected leaders and how to be involved in a democracy.

“We wanted to bring the community together,” Cook said. “We wanted to bring together people of all ages and all neighborhoods.

Lisa Bammerlin, center, who identified herself as a “concerned citizen,” talks with other women Saturday at Muskingum Park in Marietta as part of the “Community Fest – Celebrating Flag, Freedom and Our Constitution” event. The event was to remind people of their rights as American citizens. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

“We have people handing out information, we want people talking together, getting along and having fun.”

Cook said they wanted people to understand what their rights are and how the local, state and federal government works.

Groups represented at the event included the American Civil Liberties Union, Washington County Democratic Women, Ewing School, Washington County Democratic Party, Southeast Ohio Youth Mentoring and others.

A number of signs were put out with sayings such as “Protest is Patriotic,” “May God Help Us If the Courts Won’t,” “Defend the Constitution,” “Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely,” “Defend the Constitution Before It Is Too Weak To Defend You,” “Keep The Immigrants, Report the Racists,” Free Speech-Free Country” and others.

Lisa Bammerlin, who identified herself as a “concerned citizen,” said many people throughout the country are seeing the democratic norms the county has operated under for a number of years disappear.

Raven, a dog whose owner put a sign on them protesting the actions of the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which has resulted in a number of government workers being laid off was at Muskingum Park in Marietta on Saturday before a “No Kings Rally” was held at the park protesting the actions of President Donald Trump’s administration. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

“We feel that our rights as American citizens are being destroyed by a person who wants to have absolute power over all of us and ignoring our laws,” she said. “People are being vilified whether they be immigrants or others and we are concerned as Americans that the democratic norms are being eroded by someone who wants to take all power for himself.”

Bammerlin pointed to the people who were continually coming to the rally spot on Saturday.

“We have a lot of people who love this country and love what we stand for, who want to see our democracy thrive and move forward for our children.

“We have seen other countries take away their citizens’ rights. For almost 250 years we have been able to govern ourselves as American citizens with no King. We don’t want one person to dictate to all of us how we should live, how we should love and what we should do on a daily basis.”

Bammerlin also talked about people’s right to protest and to have free speech to be able to speak and redress government actions.

Scott McCutcheon prepares balloons Saturday for a “No Kings Rally” that was held at Muskingum Park in Marietta. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

“That is extremely important,” she said. “We need to protest and speak up as we are endowed with those inalienable rights as American citizens to free speech and not be subjected to tyranny from our government.

“Everyone has a voice and that is what democracy is. Everyone has the opportunity to speak up, speak out and let our government know that this is our country too.”

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com.

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Op-ed Columns From Living Democracy: Engaging Citizens

1. The Constitution – Article 1

2. The Constitution – Article Two

3. Article 3 of the U.S. Constitution – the Supreme Court

4. Article V – amending the Constitution

5. The Bill of Rights

6. The Constitution, The First Amendment