Athens’ Stop War Crimes participants want more safety measures put in place for protestors

By: Haley Richardson
Posted on: Tuesday, January 13, 2026

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Some protesters are asking for measures to increase safety after Saturday’s Stop War Crimes protest in Athens.

Although no violence was reported, a silver truck did pull up alongside protesters lined up on East State Street and spewed black smoke onto them – an act referred to as rolling coal.  

Former Councilmember Solveig Spjeldnes reached out to WOUB via email to say this was not the first time the truck had done this to protesters in Athens.  

In her email, Spjeldnes wrote that the incident was an example of why more police presence was needed at protests.  

Spjeldnes spoke with the Athens Police Department about ways to increase protesters’ safety during future demonstrations.  

Andrea Reik was part of the team working for Athens OH 50501 that organized the protest. She said the Trump administration’s immigration policies inspired her to take a stand. 

“I am horrified (at) what’s happening in this country – our loss of democracy, our ignorance of rule of law, people being hurt and illegally detained by ICE,” Reik said. 

Reik also said acts of aggression during an otherwise peaceful protest are concerning.  

While the protest was originally meant to stand against the Trump administration’s abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, it also featured a memorial for Renee Good, a woman shot and killed by an ICE officer last week while in her car in Minneapolis. 

68-year-old grandmother Carol Lewis said she was protesting for her grandchildren’s futures and hopes more people will get involved in the upcoming election cycle.  

“I want people to get out, I want them to understand they need to vote (and) they need to vote early if they can,” Lewis said.  

Lisa Parker, better known as Mamaw from Mamaw’s Porch ’N Politics, served as the protest’s key speaker.  

With nearly 90,000 followers on Facebook, Parker encourages people to speak out about causes they care about and to “stay salty.” 

“I’m glad everybody showed up, I’m glad people are using their outside voices and I’m glad people are salty because with anger you can be very constructive,” she said.  

Parker emphasized the importance of people showing up for their communities and keeping a record of current events.  

“They are not going to change history, they are not going to rewrite history. We are going to document accurate history of this time,” Parker said. 

On Jan. 20, a walkout will be held in Logan at 2 p.m. as part of Ohio 50501’s Free America walkout to mark one year of President Trump’s second term.