Since the presidential election in November 2016, there have been protests and demonstrations held throughout the country for various reasons.

This last weekend, was no different as marches were held on April 15 nationwide — including up on Redmond Ridge.

Two dozen Trilogy residents participated in a satellite Tax Day march to urge President Donald Trump to reveal his tax returns.

“We just want to take action and try to make a difference,” said Sofia Freer.

Freer was one of the march organizers and is one of the founders of Seniors for Democracy (SFD), an organization formed by Trilogy residents who are concerned with the direction the country is going.

While marches have been taking place in the big cities of the country, she said as a community of residents who are 55 and older, it can be difficult for them to get there.

“We’re all elderly, although some of us don’t want to admit it,” Freer said.

So they held the demonstration on Redmond Ridge, near where they are. Demonstrators also wanted to show that there are concerned citizens outside of the cities as well, Freer said.

The march took place in front of the main shopping center on Redmond Ridge and lasted about an hour. In addition to Freer’s group, members from two other grassroots organizations made up of Trilogy residents — the Novelty Hill Resistance (NHR) and Indivisible at the Watershed (IW) — participated.

Karen Gratt of NHR said the three groups formed independently of each other but they all have parallel goals. With the formation of NHR, she said they wanted to be able to have open, non-confrontational and non-partisan discussions about political issues.

Gratt said just because the election is done, it doesn’t mean the issues are as well. Like many who marched last Saturday, she would like to see Trump release his taxes.

“I believe government should be transparent and open,” she said, adding that people should know where the president gets his money and who he gives it to.

Arnold Tew, a member of SFD, agreed about wanting to know what are the president’s sources of income. While Trump has said he cannot share certain tax returns because he is being audited, Tew noted that the president is not being audited for his 2016 taxes.

“This year, I paid my tax,” Tew said, adding that he wants to make sure as a billionaire, that Trump does his part as well.

He said he hoped that last weekend’s march prompted more people to think about and question why Trump has not released his taxes.

Freer added that it is also important to see if there are any conflicts of interests for Trump in his business dealings and his being president.

SFD is Freer’s first time getting involved in politics and she said prior to forming and joining these political groups, it was the same for many others who had participated in last weekend’s march.

Tew said while this time around isn’t his first time getting involved politically, the last time he did was during the days of the Vietnam War. He added that other actions they have been taking in the group include writing letters and calling their senators and representatives.

Tew said it is important to make sure that the federal budget is spent right, acknowledging that it will not be an easy process.

“It’s going to be very complicated for all of us,” he said.

Freer and Gratt said they plan to hold more demonstrations in the future such as the science march, which is set for Earth Day on Saturday.