Text says: But closer to the road, others, no fans of the president, gathered to protest. Many of the protesters concealed their identities with masks, glasses and hats and declined to speak with the press. One, Charlottesville resident, civil rights activist and University of Virginia professor Jalane Schmidt, did speak with the Daily Progress.
Schmidt acknowledged that their protest would likely fall on deaf ears, but she said there is still power in protest. "We want to represent dissent to authoritarianism. So we felt that we had to be there. Of course, we're not inside the room, we're not the big donors, we're not the target guest and this sort of thing, but we are members of the community here," she said.
As @jalaneschmidt.bsky.social points out here - We protest because the visibility of our dissent is in itself important. Power often depends on silence.