OBSERVER Photo by Christopher Blakeslee More than 50 protesters took up positions Wednesday at North Main Street and Second Street, regarding the alleged illegal and unconstitutional actions taken by President Donald Trump, and the more than 25 sweeping executive orders he issued since taking office in January.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in cities across the U.S. on Wednesday to protest the Trump administration’s early actions, decrying everything from the president’s immigration crackdown to his rollback of transgender rights and a proposal to forcibly transfer Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

One of those protests took place at the corner of Main and Second streets in Jamestown.

However, since taking office in January, Trump, has issued a swarm of executive orders aimed at restricting access to provisions in immigrations laws; sexual classifications and identifications; rollback of rights for transgender people; the shuttering and termination of all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) office and 25 additional executive orders.

A movement to protest the swarm of executive orders issued by Trump, and what some perceive as unconstitutional governmental overreach, and a lack of congressional oversight into Trump’s actions parlayed into a launch of protests nationwide. The initial protest started outside a federal courthouse in Philadelphia and at state capitals in Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin and Indiana Wednesday morning. Locally, protesters, positioned themselves on the sidewalks and crosswalks, of the intersection corners, along North Main Street and Second Street, holding anti-trump and anti-Elon Musk signage, decrying the president’s actions.

“Trump’s actions are unconscionable, inhuman and un-American,” said Paul Leone of Jamestown. “We’re out here holding our elected representative (Nick Langworthy, R-23) accountable for the lack of congressional oversight into what the president is doing.”

Echoing Leone’s statement, Itza Morales, a resident of Jamestown, said that the group is protesting all the president’s unconstitutional actions, not just one.

“This is the United States of America. All Americans should be treated with dignity and respect, and the president should have to follow the laws of our nation, just like we all do,” she added.

One protester who chose to remain anonymous, citing privacy issues said, “Trump is allowing Elon Musk access to our personal data.”

However, according to Leone, he and a group of protesters spoke with a representative from Langworthy’s office who took down detailed notes and said that he would pass on the group’s concerns to the congressman.

“The aid seemed very interested in what we had to say,” explained Leone. “I have hope that he will speak with us (Langworthy) or at least take our concerns seriously.”

The protests were a result of a movement that has organized online under the hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501, which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, one day. Websites and accounts across social media issued calls for action, with messages such as “reject fascism” and “defend our democracy.”