Democrats from Franklin and Cumberland counties came out in downtown Shippensburg on March 22 to show their distaste for the Trump administration’s policies on a wide range of issues. 

Around 60 protestors demonstrated around the intersection of King Street and Earl Street, protesting issues like potential cuts to government services like Social Security, attempts to dismantle the Department of Education and other agencies and cutting support to Ukraine.

Some drivers greeted protestors with approving honks and calls of support as they drove past. Others challenged the
demonstrators by “rolling coal” and shouting expletives. According to demonstrators, several pickup truck drivers were seen circling back to repeat such signs of disapproval.

The protest was organized by the Franklin County Democratic Committee in collaboration with their counterpart in Cumberland County. According to Sheri Morgan, the state committeewoman for the Franklin County Democrats, the committee had hosted another protest in Orrstown the week before. 

Two protesters, Carol Hozman and Betty Schreiber, stood together on King Street. The pair had protested during the Vietnam era, according to Hozman. 

“We were all hippies. This ain’t my first time,” Schreiber said. 

Schreiber is a retired teacher and said that she was upset over the Trump administration’s “tearing down” of education. As a special education teacher, she taught programs made possible only through federal grants. 

“It wouldn’t have been possible to have that kind of education that disabled students have,” Schreiber said. “I thought that’s what made us great. I thought we were a country that had humanity. Trump has no humanity,” said Schreiber. “He’s got us old ladies all fired up.”

Hozman spoke to that point as well. “He’s threatening to take away our Social Security,” Hozman said. “We paid into that for a whole lot of years. It’s not entitlement, it was insurance for us.”

Morgan said that the committee has plans to host similar “Save Our Squares” protests on Saturdays from 12-1 p.m. On March 29, it hosted a demonstration in Mercersburg, and two more are planned — in Chambersburg on April 5 and in Mont Alto on April 12.

The protests, Morgan said, are in response to constituents asking what they can do to push back against what they see as tyrannical Trump administration policies. 

“Don’t be fearful,” Morgan said. “Join us and organize, and we’ll take our country back.”

Harry Stutts was particularly troubled by the Trump administration’s attacks on veterans’ benefits and jobs. 

Stutts, a Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War, said, “We’ve got an awful lot of veterans who’ve gone through hell. Somebody who puts it all on the line — they deserve our help.”

Mark Hartman, a music professor who retired from Shippensburg University in 2024, joined the protest with Larry Klotz, a biology professor who retired in 2009. 

“Our country is in such a terrible position right now with oligarchy taking over and Trump’s bent toward fascism,” Hartman said. “Someone has to stand up and say something.” 

A protester who wished to be identified as a teacher in a neighboring school district out of fear of political reprisal explained why she was protesting. “No one elected Elon Musk, and they are decimating the Constitution,” she said.

Another protestor named Enid sported a National Park Service ranger uniform and spoke about the threat that in her view Republicans pose to national parks.  

“The drastic cuts to the U.S. National Park Service don’t benefit anybody,” Enid said.

Enid, who identified herself as a former NPS park ranger, explained that there were so many things to protest about that it would have taken all day to explain. “I chose the one I had a hat for,” she said referring to the park ranger hat she wore.

In Enid’s view, national parks and other natural spaces are a place where people can come together, regardless of political identity. “Politics and religion don’t matter in a campground,” she said.

Mary Jane Fair, who has a 13-year-old grandson, said she is afraid of him growing up in a world full of hate and intolerance. 

“I want a world that believes that all people are important,” Fair said. “I think our country can do that.”

The committee also plans to demonstrate in front of elected officials’ offices on Tuesdays from 12-1 p.m. On March 25 they protested in front of PA State Rep. Rob Kaufman’s Chambersburg office. On April 1, they plan to rally in front of PA State Rep. Chad Reichard’s Greencastle office, and a week later, the venue will be U.S. Rep. John Joyce’s (PA-13) Chambersburg office.

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