Several dozen local residents marched and rallied in downtown Cody on Saturday morning to call for a “better America.”

The signs and speeches covered a range of topics but a frequent theme was dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump and his administration.

Some signs bore messages like “Climate change is real,” “coexist” and encouraging recycling. Others read “Remove Trump from office and make America great again,” “STD — Stop the Donald :)” and “We love Nancy,” above a drawing of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spanking the president over her knee.

It was the fourth annual march in Park County, organized by the local nonprofit Wyoming Rising and loosely held in conjunction with the global Women’s March.

One of the goals of Saturday’s event, Wyoming Rising said on its website, was to show the Trump administration that it does not have the support of the majority. That’s an uphill battle in a county where more than 73 percent of voters backed Trump in 2016. However, after regrouping at Cody City Park to listen to a lineup of speakers on Saturday, participants agreed with Wyoming Rising Co-Chair Mary Keller that they felt “strong” while marching — and that it felt “alright” to raise their voices and carry their signs in Park County.

“We are the underdogs here,” Keller told the crowd of around 60 people. “But we’re not just going to pass on these streets, giving power to injustice. And rather than waiting this one out and see what happens in 2020, we march as watchdogs. We are the watchdogs who aspire for a better America.”

In her remarks, Keller raised concerns about a warming planet under weakened environmental protections, eroded civil liberties and public education and the influence of corporate money in campaigns.

Meanwhile, Powell High School student Sadie Tillotson urged attendees to oppose a planned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center outside of Evanston. She faulted the safety record of CoreCivic, the private company that plans to build and run the center, and questioned the fairness and legality of detaining immigrants there.

“It should not matter what background or race a person comes from — they deserve basic civil liberties,” Tillotson said to applause. She noted that Wyoming was once home to the Heart Mountain Relocation Center outside of Ralston, where thousands of Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II.

“The construction of the ICE detention center will simply be trampling the ideals of our country once again,” Tillotson said.

Dakota Russell, the executive director of the museum dedicated to the history and the lessons of the Heart Mountain camp, also spoke at Saturday’s rally. He told the story of Stanley Hayami, a teenage incarceree at Heart Mountain. Despite having had his freedom stripped away and being forced to leave his home, Hayami resolved to keep his faith in America, Russell said. While some in the camp resisted the draft, Hayami joined the Army and ultimately died while serving his country.

Russell encouraged attendees to keep that same faith in America.

“I urge you, … in the face of the fear that is coming at you daily, we keep participating, we keep getting involved,” he said.

Cody City Councilwoman Diane Ballard similarly told the group to get and stay involved in government, noting the many opportunities available.

As for other topics, Deepthi Amarasuriya, a physics professor at Northwest College who is originally from Sri Lanka, talked about the many contributions of immigrants. She raised concern about the limited number of scientists, engineers, tech workers, medical specialists and other skilled workers that are being allowed to come to the country to fill open jobs.

“The entire [immigration] process is overdue for reform,” Amarasuriya said. “And skilled immigration needs to be an important part of the conversation.”

In remarks about healthcare, Dr. Valerie Lengfelder of Powell was critical of recent attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act — including lifting the act’s requirement for individuals to buy insurance; she said those efforts have led to higher insurance premiums. Lengfelder also criticized the administration’s decision to allow states to impose work requirements for Medicaid.

“Access to healthcare is a longstanding problem, and it’s only gotten worse over the last three years,” Lengfelder said.

Additionally, she faulted changes that the Trump administration made to Title X funding. The alterations prevent family planning clinics from receiving federal family planning grants if they provide abortions or make referrals to abortion providers.

“All options available to women for their reproductive healthcare can’t even be discussed,” Lengfelder said. Nearly 900 clinics lost Title X funding, which she said has meant fewer screenings for cancer and sexually transmitted diseases — and less access to birth control.

“They’re limiting women’s ability to choose when and if to have a family,” Lengfelder said. In the 2020 election, “we need to make a change this time,” she said.

Saturday’s “March for a Better America” began at the same time and nearly the same location as the annual “March for Life.” That pro-life group gathered at the Park County Courthouse and walked to a memorial for the unborn at Cody’s Riverside Cemetery. They carried signs with messages like, “Planned Parenthood sells baby parts,” “Women do regret abortion” and “Respect life from the womb to the tomb.”

As the group passed City Park, the March for a Better America participants wrapped up their opening remarks and left to march through downtown — heading in the opposite direction.