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Several hundred demonstrators circled Welburn Square on Saturday, Oct. 18, joining nationwide protests against the Trump administration.

The peaceful Arlington gathering drew an estimated 300 to 400 people, from babies carried in snugglies to seniors using wheelchairs. Protesters carried handmade cardboard signs and American flags, while some wore costumes or crowns.

Jan and Ed Harkness watched from the edge of the square. Jan held a sign asking, “Will We Still Have Scientists to Replace Me?”

Jan, who is from China, said she met Ed in Berlin while earning a doctorate in agriculture and he was serving as a State Department diplomat. Although she does not consider herself politically active, she said the couple wanted to attend a low-key rally because of concerns about President Donald Trump’s conduct and the future of American democracy.

Nearby, a small group accompanied by a banjo sang “Put a Little Love in Your Heart.”

Wolin Sky, who lives at The Jefferson retirement community across the street, sat on a bench with Melanie Ridney. Sky said he attended to protest what he believes has been lost from the nation’s democracy.

Ridney said her membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution and her family’s military history shaped her decision to participate. She said 22 of her ancestors have ties to the organization, her father fought in the Pacific during World War II and an uncle died in the war.

“A lot of people don’t understand what they have here,” Ridney said, adding that many Americans had not realized how fragile democracy could be.

The procession included a person dressed as a dinosaur and signs bearing messages such as “Fight Truth Decay,” “Immigrants Make America Great Again” and “Melt ICE.”

Beverly and Bob Johnson, also residents of The Jefferson, estimated that more than 60 people from the retirement community participated. They arrived after attending another protest on the National Mall, where Bob described seeing “rivers of people.”

Bob, a Vietnam War veteran, said he was disturbed by the military’s deployment in American cities and criticized the secretary of defense. He recalled that his favorite sign at the Mall demonstration read, “Hesketh DUI hire.”

Beverly said she was protesting what she described as the erosion of due process, the treatment of immigrants and the weaponization of the justice system.