Photo courtesy of Darwin Dyce Hundreds of people gathered in Willmar on Saturday as part of the nationwide “Hands Off” protests against the Trump administration.

Thousands of people around Minnesota showed up at protests of President Donald Trump and his administration on Saturday — and the crowds included area residents. Marshall residents said Monday that they traveled to rallies like one held in Willmar to make themselves heard.

“It is not a time to sit on the sidelines,” said Marshall resident Deb Maki.

Maki and her husband Craig Maki were among the more than 700 people at a DFL town hall in Willmar.

“It was exciting. There was a lot of energy,” Al Kruse said of the event.

Other Marshall residents traveled to St. Paul to attend the Hands Off protest outside the State Capitol. Jim Smalley and Sara Runchey said members of their family attended together.

“The sea of people was just amazing,” Smalley said.

Protests against the Trump administration were held in cities across the country on Saturday. In Minnesota, an estimated 25,000 people gathered outside the State Capitol in St. Paul, the Star Tribune reported. In Willmar, the Hands Off protest also coincided with a Democratic-Farmer-Labor town hall at Lakeland Elementary. About 750 people attended the town hall meeting, the Minnesota DFL said.

The Indivisible grassroots movement and Democrats in Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District held town halls in Detroit Lakes, Alexandria and Willmar on Saturday. Organizers said the events were a response to U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach not appearing at in-person town halls in CD 7, the West Central Tribune newspaper reported.

In a March 31 newsletter, Fischbach said she had held a telephone town hall that nearly 14,000 people participated in. In the newsletter, Fischbach said “By and large, my constituents agree with President Trump’s efforts to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse from the federal government and think that this country is headed in the right direction.”

Local residents who headed to the town hall meeting and Hands Off protest did not agree, and said people in CD 7 wanted to be heard.

The Makis said they traveled to all three of the CD 7 town halls, in Detroit Lakes, Alexandria and Willmar.

“They were all really inspiring,” Deb Maki said.

The Makis estimated that the Detroit Lakes and Alexandria events drew a couple hundred people each. “They were smaller, but also very enthusiastic.”

Marshall resident Ruthe Thompson also attended the Willmar event.

“I wanted to do something for the national Hands Off protest, and this was the closest event,” she said.

Speakers at the Willmar town hall included Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, Farmers Union President Gary Wertish, and Minnesota DFL Chair Richard Carlbom.

“The speakers were wonderful, expressing the truth about what’s happening and how it will affect the people,” Thompson said.

The Trump administration was violating the principles of the U.S. Constitution, she said.

Kruse said there were a lot of things he was concerned about, like cuts to Social Security or Medicaid.

“That means people in nursing homes could be cut off, children could be cut off from medical care,” Kruse said. “It just doesn’t make sense. You throw the tariffs on, and this is crazy.”

Kruse said there was a good-sized crowd gathered outside the town hall venue before people could go in. Attendees included farmers, professionals, young people and retirees, he said.

The town hall itself was standing-room only, attendees said.

“I had to stand around the corner from the speakers because the room was so full,” Thompson said.

“We were kind of sardined into the back,” Deb Maki said.

Thompson said the crowd was loud and animated. Many people were frustrated with Fischbach.

“The people at the town hall wanted our representative to speak to us and account for what she is doing to the country, this state and our district,” she said.

Craig Maki said there was also “a sense of fear out there,” with people concerned about how the administration’s actions would affect them.

“People are looking for a way to be heard,” Deb Maki said.

Thompson said speakers encouraged the crowd to call Fischbach’s office to ask for accountability, and to state that they were opposed to how she has voted.

Maki said one of the memorable things about Saturday’s rallies was being able to hear from people about how federal cuts were impacting other Minnesotans.

“There were a lot of personal stories, not just generalities,” she said.

One of the speakers was a small business owner who had lost agreed-upon grant funding, she said.

“We heard from a person who worked at the Department of Health,” who spoke about how funding cuts were putting medical research on hold, Maki said.

Maki said there were also crowds of people in Willmar who stood outside with protest signs.

“A lot of people drove by and honked support,” she said.

Maki said it was “gratifying” to see that people cared enough to come out to the town halls and protests.

“I think it was a lot of solidarity,” she said.

Runchey said her family took the opportunity to see what was happening at the St. Paul protest after she heard her sister and brother-in-law were attending. Runchey said they parked near the St. Paul Cathedral, and walked the rest of the way toward the Capitol.

“There was definitely a positive vibe,” Runchey said. “People were very polite, even as the crowd grew.” She said the protest signs people had made were creative.

Smalley said Saturday was his first time at a rally the size of the one in St. Paul. He was concerned about the way that the Trump administration’s policies could affect vulnerable people in society. The impact on immigrants in was one example.

“Deportations and the threat of deportations are hurting children and families, and taking workers out of the workforce,” Smalley said. “It’s impacting schools and communities across rural regions.”

Runchey said she and her sister were concerned about a lack of due process under the Trump administration.

“We need to get back to rule of law,” she said.

Smalley and Runchey said they were able to hear speakers including U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

“The message, I think, is one that was important to have,” Runchey said. “Things are not normal.”

“The message I took away was from Sen. Klobuchar, about needing to influence the small majority in both the Senate and the House,” Smalley said.

That meant people would need to reach across the aisle to Republicans.

Kruse said he was impressed by the enthusiasm at the Willmar protest and town hall.

“A lot of people said, ‘Well, when is the next one?’ ” he said.