Rally held in Fayetteville amid Trump's inauguration

FAYETTEVILLE -- Judy Powell of Pineville, Mo., remembers growing up in the 1960s when it seemed OK to pinch women's behinds. She doesn't want to return to that era.

Powell fears the election of President Donald Trump will legitimize that sort of behavior.

"There'll be young women who'll be getting assaulted that shouldn't be," she said. "That's assault, grabbing somebody's butt."

Powell stood among hundreds of demonstrators Friday outside the Washington County Courthouse as part of the Love Conquers Hate stand-in, a counter to Trump's inauguration. She held a sign that read "Women's rights are human rights."

Her friend, Paula Hardig of Lowell, held a sign saying, "We won't go back." To Hardig, America is already great, and made strides in recent years to strengthen the economy and spread equality.

"Things have really changed in a positive way, in my opinion," she said. "I guess not everyone feels that way."

Demonstrators lined both sides of College Avenue from Dickson Street to near Spring Street. Cars honked among chants of "They go low, we go high," "Love trumps hate" and "This is what democracy looks like."

The crowd of mostly women peacefully assembled, holding balloons and carrying handmade signs, some detailed in design and others simply composed of marker on cardboard. The event was a nod to the Women's March today in Washington.

For Emma Kist, 35, of West Fork, the gathering was about strength in numbers.

"I feel like Donald Trump does not represent a large portion of the citizens of the United States," she said. "I also feel like he's preying upon peoples' sense of fear."

Rachel Lyons, 33, of Fayetteville, joined Kist at the rally and said her sign, "Open mind, open hearts," had personal significance.

"It's a reminder to myself, really," she said. "I feel like I've been waving at my country boy neighbors in their trucks more often because I'm trying to create this feeling of kinship with them while still keeping my vision."

People of different backgrounds coming together may become a silver lining of the election, Lyons said.

"We do have to actually come together with people and try to understand the other side," she said. "The election made me realize how insulated I am in my views because I didn't think this could actually happen."

Pam Hodge of Fayetteville showed her support for the Affordable Care Act, the national health coverage plan enacted under former President Barack Obama that Republicans and Trump have vowed to dismantle. Hodge worries about lower-income people who can't afford private insurance and the lack of a proposed alternate plan.

When Hodge thinks about Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, "It just breaks my heart," she said.

Sara Coker, 27, of Bryant, walked around with her Labrador, Siggy, who wore a rainbow-colored, fluffy collar. Coker sees herself as an advocate for women's rights and doesn't understand how equal pay hasn't become a reality.

"I feel like it's taken us 50 years to do so much just to go back," she said.

Isaac Foster, 23, of Fayetteville held a sign reading "Girls just wanna have FUN-damental rights." He identified himself as bisexual and admonished fervent Trump supporters for spreading what Foster viewed as a message of hate.

"I'm terrified right now," he said.

His friend, James Flanagan, 27, of Fayetteville, described feeling "flabbergasted" watching Trump being sworn into office.

"It didn't seem real in November and now it's actually happened," he said. "He's no longer the president-elect."

The demonstration allayed some of Foster's fears.

"Love is the antithesis to hate," he said. "As long as love is being spread, that helps counteract it."

NW News on 01/21/2017