A couple hundred people marched down Massachusetts Street Friday with signs and chants in a protest regarding issues of immigration policy, transgender rights and several more subjects.
The march from Ninth and Mass. streets to Lawrence City Hall and Watson Park was part of nationwide May Day protests.
When the group arrived at City Hall, organizers invited protesters to sign a list of demands for the lawn of the building, and to plant pride flags.
The list called for protecting transgender rights, to keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement out, and prioritizing human rights and workers’ interests over profit.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
May Day, or International Workers’ Day, is a global day of protest that traditionally calls for no work, no school and no spending.
“The only majority in the world is us, the working class,” said Rep. Brooklynne Mosley, who spoke to protesters gathered in Watson Park.
But this year’s protest was about more than workers’ rights. Like last year, many attended to protest the Trump administration and what they described as a country in distress.
“We’ve got a president who’s completely going against the Constitution, and the entire Republican Party is backing him up and not doing their jobs,” said protester Keiran Cohen.
Many — like Emerson Hoffzales, an educator and union leader — felt that solidarity is the best tool for local advocacy.
“The only solace that we have right now is each other,” Hoffzales said. “Worker solidarity and worker voice is needed now more than ever.”
The protest featured a mix of generations, with mainly older demonstrators joined by a few younger activists. For Cohen, the event served as a reminder that individual actions can spark broader change.
“I just feel like courage is contagious,” Cohen said. “Hopefully, if there’s enough of us doing little things, it’ll make a big change.”
If local news matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat — get the latest news from the Times delivered to your inbox:
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
Courtney Lane (she/her), reporting correspondent, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2026. Originally from Arkansas, she’s a graduate of KU’s Journalism school, where she worked as a reporter, opinion section editor, and eventually editor-in-chief for The Kansan.
Read her work for the Times at this link, and see her photography for the Times at this link.
Jacob Rice (he/him), photo correspondent, has worked with The Lawrence Times since March 2026. He studied journalism and mass communications at Iowa State University, where he spent four years as the visuals editor for the Iowa State Daily.
Check out his photography for the Times here. Read his articles for the Times at this link.
Latest Lawrence news:
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Cuyler Dunn/Lawrence Times
Wulfe Wulfemeyer/Lawrence Times
