Cow bells, car horns and chants filled the air as protesters marched along West Market Street Saturday morning during the “2026 Belongs to Us! People’s March,” put on by Indivisible Akron.

The march began at Hardesty Park, then headed west toward the ALDI store on West Market Street. Protesters then crossed the street in front of the Acme No. 1 store before returning to the area near the park.

The “2026 Belongs to Us” theme, according to a news release, was intended as a “nonpartisan effort to demonstrate and reclaim civic power,” based on the principle in the Constitution that “democratic government belongs to the people, which is where its legitimate authority resides.”

A protester waves a small American flag as they head west on West Market Street in front of The Woods of Fairlawn in Wallhaven as they participate in a march organized by Indivisible Akron on Saturday, Jan. 17. Marchers gathered at Hardesty Park before walking to the Acme No. 1 store, then back to the park. The theme of the event was "2026 Belongs to Us," intended as a "nonpartisan effort to demonstrate and reclaim civic power."
A protester waves a small American flag as they head west on West Market Street in front of The Woods of Fairlawn in Wallhaven as they participate in a march organized by Indivisible Akron on Saturday, Jan. 17. Marchers gathered at Hardesty Park before walking to the Acme No. 1 store, then back to the park. The theme of the event was “2026 Belongs to Us,” intended as a “nonpartisan effort to demonstrate and reclaim civic power.” (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)
Protesters march in front of The Woods of Fairlawn in Wallhaven as they participate in a march organized by Indivisible Akron on Saturday, Jan. 17. Marchers gathered at Hardesty Park before walking along West Market Street to the Acme No. 1 store, then back to the park.
Protesters march in front of The Woods of Fairlawn in Wallhaven as they participate in a march organized by Indivisible Akron on Saturday, Jan. 17. Marchers gathered at Hardesty Park before walking along West Market Street to the Acme No. 1 store, then back to the park. The theme of the event was “2026 Belongs to Us,” intended as a “nonpartisan effort to demonstrate and reclaim civic power.”
Protesters march along West Market Street in Wallhaven as they participate in a march organized by Indivisible Akron on Saturday, Jan. 17. Marchers gathered at Hardesty Park before walking to the Acme No. 1 store, then back to the park. The theme of the event was "2026 Belongs to Us," intended as a "nonpartisan effort to demonstrate and reclaim civic power."
Protesters march along West Market Street in Wallhaven as they participate in a march organized by Indivisible Akron on Saturday, Jan. 17. Marchers gathered at Hardesty Park before walking to the Acme No. 1 store, then back to the park. The theme of the event was “2026 Belongs to Us,” intended as a “nonpartisan effort to demonstrate and reclaim civic power.” (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)
Karen Hanna of Cuyahoga Falls waves her protest sign to cars passing by in front of Hardesty Park in Akron's Wallhaven neighborhood. Hanna was participating in a protest march organized by Indivisible Akron on Saturday, Jan. 17.
Karen Hanna of Cuyahoga Falls waves her protest sign to cars passing by in front of Hardesty Park in Akron’s Wallhaven neighborhood. Hanna was participating in a protest march organized by Indivisible Akron on Saturday, Jan. 17. The theme of the event was “2026 Belongs to Us,” intended as a “nonpartisan effort to demonstrate and reclaim civic power.” (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)
Protesters participating in a march with the theme "2026 Belongs to Us," stop in Wallhaven Saturday. The protest, organized by Indivisible Akron, was intended as a "nonpartisan effort to demonstrate and reclaim civic power."
Protesters participating in a march with the theme “2026 Belongs to Us,” stop in Wallhaven Saturday. The protest, organized by Indivisible Akron, was intended as a “nonpartisan effort to demonstrate and reclaim civic power.” (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.