Demonstrators gathered throughout Arizona Saturday for what were dubbed "Hands Off" protests.
It was part of a nationwide day of opposition to deep cuts to the federal government by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Nearly 2,500 people rallied in front of Flagstaff City Hall against cuts to health care and Social Security, among other issues.
It was the largest protest in the city so far during President Donald Trump’s second term.
Austin Kerr is a schoolteacher and vice chair of the Coconino County Democratic Party.
“It's a pretty essential time to be protesting the rise of fascism, and, as an educator, it's my responsibility to make sure that my community is safe, either in my classroom or out here protesting," Kerr says.
Kerr says he worries core American values, and democracy itself, are under threat by President Trump.
Those concerns were echoed by Flagstaff resident Karen Leroy.
“I feel like it's necessary to fight back because so many people are being harmed by this and it's changing our entire way of American life, and I think that's horrific," Leroy says.
Simultaneously, organizers say more than 900 people gathered in Uptown Sedona, where Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes spoke to the crowd.
Mayes has filed nearly a dozen lawsuits against the Trump administration.
The events were among nearly 30 in Arizona and more than 1,200 protests across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
