| By Kelly McKinney-Richmond In Depth |
As the sun blazed Saturday afternoon, dozens of people were gathered at the Madison County Courthouse in Richmond. Some, including a pair of drummers, waited in the little bit of shaded area that was available as others continued to show up.
As more people arrived, carrying signs with messages including “Hands off Medicaid,” “Make America America Again, and “Resist Fascism,” many of those gathered made their way to the sidewalk. A sign welcoming people to join in was placed near the front of the courthouse lawn. A sound system was set up.
Someone announced that speeches would soon start.
But first, the energizing sound of “Stand Up and Fight” by Becky Shaheen filled the area, amping up the crowd. The drummers joined along.
Then, it was time to make their voices heard.
As speakers took to the microphone, most of those gathered stood along the sidewalk, or walked around, holding their signs aloft for passersby to see.
First to speak was Ned Pillersdorf, Democratic candidate for Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District, a seat that has been held by Republican Hal Rogers since 1981.
He asserted that action at this moment is imperative.
“We have a wannabe dictator who’s already talking about staying in office for a third term,” he said. “What do we tell our children and grandchildren that we did in 2025, 2026? I want to tell them that we did our part, and we resisted.”
Next at the microphone was Craig Blair, founder of Peaceful Bluegrass Resistance, a Lexington-based group that describes itself as a group of independent, inclusive progressives championing compassionate, common-sense governance.
Blair started by asking protestors to join in what has now become a familiar sound to those who have participated in the group’s dozens of protests:
“Show me what democracy looks like!” he yelled.
“This is what democracy looks like,” attendees responded in unison.
Blair shared the reasons PBR has organized almost 150 protests since February.
“When tyrants and billionaires say shut up and sit down, we say hell no,” he said.
Blair said both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill need to stand up for their constituents.
“In DC, the executive branch is acting like they’ve never heard of the Constitution,” he said. “The Republicans in Congress have willingly handed over their powers to the oval office, and most of the Democrats are acting like someone stole their milk money—they’re butt hurt about it, but they’re too damn scared to do anything.”
In all, about 60 people joined Saturday’s demonstration, which was organized by the group KY Resist. The group started in Corbin and is holding events in small towns across Kentucky, including in some of the heaviest red areas.
It and other resistance groups that have sprouted across the commonwealth since Trump took office in January have found growing support. However, according to a recent study, 57% of Kentuckians still approve of Trump’s performance.
At Saturday’s event, demonstrators chanted and waved at passersby, many of whom honked, seemingly in solidarity with the protest. A few people driving by shouted support for Trump. At least one passerby made a lewd gesture, which was returned by at least one protestor.
During his speech, Blair joined Pillersdorf in calling for action.
“This is an all-hands-on-dec k moment,” he said, adding that many of the Republican-held seats in the 2024 election went uncontested. According to a report by Louisville Public Media, 40 seats in the Kentucky legislature were not contested, 34 of which were held by Republicans. That includes three of the four House seats that include parts of Madison County.
At the federal level, Kentucky’s 4th and 5thCongressional seats were uncontested.
Blair urged attendees to help find people willing to run for office as Democratic candidates, or to run themselves.
“We cannot allow Republicans to run unopposed,” he said. “We must take back control of the House.”
Blair called for representatives to remember all their constituents, and remarked that, of the thousands of signs he has seen during his almost 150 protests, the one he has liked the most was just three words: “Y’all means all.”
“We are all your people,” he said.
KY Resist’s next planned protest is scheduled for Aug. 23 in Georgetown.
