100 gather on Public Square to protest Trump Administration’s actions

WILKES-BARRE — On a day aimed at celebrating the American labor movement, a handful of local advocacy groups and their supporters on Monday gathered on Public Square to protest actions by the Trump Administration that they believe put the interests of corporations and billionaires above the needs of working people.

Around 100 people joined volunteers of NEPA Stands Up, Rural Organizing, Affordable Pennsylvania, Blue Hat Ladies and the NEPA Chapter of Democratic Socials of America, to voice their concerns over Trump’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which was signed into law in July and includes steep cuts to both Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Others called out the federal government for its immigration crackdown, response to the war in Gaza and anti-LGBTQ+ policies, such as ending specialized support on the 988 national suicide prevention hotline for young LGBTQ+ callers.

The crowd held handmade signs that said phrases like “respect works, reject greed,” “democracy not dictatorship” and “tax the rich.”

The event lasted about two hours. Some attendees listened to speeches, while others stood on the corner of Public Square, holding their signs out to cars passing by.

The protest was part of “Workers over Billionaires,” a nationwide call to action organized by May Day Strong, a coalition of labor and advocacy groups, and backed by the AFL-CIO, the country’s largest federation of labor unions.

In addition to the protest, the event also included a food drive. Attendees were encouraged to bring nonperishable food items to stock one of the local pantries.

“Our community is suffering from hunger, from so many things,” Rural Organizing’s Megan Kocher said. “Cutting Medicaid, cutting SNAP, cutting funding for food banks, all of this together, even cutting FEMA funding, is ultimately just going to hurt a community like Luzerne County where I know over 16% of children are food insecure.”

According to Feeding America, the child food insecurity rate in Luzerne County was 22.6% in 2023.

Additionally, according to Feeding Pennsylvania, 2 million people in the state benefit from SNAP, including 591,000 children and 344,000 seniors.

According to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, Trump’s budget aims to cut about $186 billion from SNAP funding through 2034.

The law will also cut billions from Medicaid funding over the next decade, with the cuts going into effect in 2026.

According to state data, roughly 3 million people in Pennsylvania are covered by Medicaid.

“We wanted to bring people together for these protests, but we also wanted to make them beneficial to the community, in a way that is more than just giving people a space to express their frustrations. So we wanted to do a local food drive, especially with everyone heading back to school now,” Kocher said.

Audrey Sernaik, 70, of Plains Township, said she came out to the protest on Monday because she felt like the Trump Administration caters to the rich and is out of touch with what working Americans need.

“They don’t have to deal with the grocery bill,” Sernaik said. “They don’t have to worry about how much their power is gonna go up from the data centers being built. They’re continuously taking money from hard working people.”

Sernaik, who carried a sign that read “Facts always win,” also said she was concerned with the anti-vaccine views of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

”It’s lies,” she said. “It’s just complete and utter misinformation.”