People holding signs line Ellsworth Street at about 4:45 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.
Protesting with picket signs has almost become a Friday routine on Ellsworth Street in Albany, even when it rains.
I’m mentioning this at the risk of touching off a torrent of partisan abuse in the comments. But in this blog, I mostly write about what I see, especially when I’m riding my bike through Albany neighborhoods.
Friday’s afternoon ride took me along Ellsworth just as the day’s picketing activity along the sidewalks on both sides was beginning to wind down.
The picketing with signs is aimed at people driving by. On Friday a sign invited passing motorists to honk and wave.
During the few minutes I was there, I heard a few honks. I assume that was in support of the pickets, but one can’t be sure. If you were driving by, how would you express the opposite of support?
If memory serves, the protests started after Israel responded to the Oct. 7 attack from Gaza in 2023. The demonstrations grew after the 2024 election. Now they are mostly against ICE and its methods of enforcing federal immigration law.
Not all of them, though. One guy was holding a sign saying: “Ban private for profit prisons.” Would he prefer private prisons run by so-called non-profits?
Albany picketing against Trump, on immigration or anything else that annoys his opponents, might surprise people who remember that Trump won Linn County in 2024 with 60 percent of the county vote over 36 percent for Harris.
They forget or never heard that the county seat, Albany, went the other way, with 11,801 votes for Harris beating Trump’s 11,318. That was the Linn County side.
In Benton County’s part of the city, the margin was bigger, with 3,164 for Harris and 2,666 for Trump.
Albany Precinct 1, which includes downtown and the Monteith Historic District, went for Harris over Trump in a big way, 1,057 t0 589. Precinct 5, on the east side of downtown, also went heavily for the Democratic side.
Contrast Albany with Millersburg, where Trump voters strongly outnumbered Harris voters, 1,416 to 746. I haven’t heard of any anti-Trump picketing there. (hh)
Wow it’s strange that I haven’t met those people the people I see on the street and in the supermarket seem to be conservative annot Biden Harris fans.i guess they must be closet liberals. But that’s what happens when your nice little city goes from 20,000to 50,000 in 20 or so years. You got to get those people from somewhere
I’d like to thank you for your journalism, and that you bring the facts no matter what they are, such honest and straightforward articles are a breath of fresh air!
You are right in Hasso. You get what you voted for. Protests are freedom of speech. Your Albany numbers pretty much reflect the country as a whole. No president is immune from criticism, and this one currently has a low favorability rating. He over promised and under delivered accept on mass deportation. ICE has so much money and private detention centers are opening up in states like Michigan where thousands can be housed before being transported out of the country to who knows where. There is big money to be made. We all want the bad guys gone, however when you have unlimited resources, can stop and question and detain , you can just round up anyone, including US citizens. Oops, we made a mistake we will just book you a flight back home.
Let the people on EITHER side speak their mind. Who knows our president may decide to outlaw protesting. He has suggested worse things then that.
I have never minded picketing, even when I find the slogans ridiculous such as “The End is Near” signs from the 70s or then-frequent union strikes. It is a very peaceful way to protest. The picketers get to express their passion. People passing by can agree or disagree, peacefully. If everyone will just picket, or sing protest songs, that is fine. Just keep the the traffic obstruction, trespassing and violence out of it, if you feel so inclined.
You can never protest criminality and incompetence enough.
“Criminality”? You need to prove that. You words alone are not evidence or justice. The illegal action is the protection of illegal immigrants as a sanctuary state is itself illegal / unConstitutional. There are federal laws against illegal immigration that were democratically enacted (including most Democrats in Congress). Federal law on the topic of immigration is the supreme law of the land according to the Constitution and Supreme Court. Federal law is superior to city or state law according to the Supremacy Clause which has often been upheld at the Supreme Court. The only mistake the Trump admin made is not dismantling “Sanctuary laws” before addressing the criminal immigrants hiding in plain sight in sanctuary cities. All this said, protestors maintain their Constitutional right to protest legal actions by the Federal govt
The only thing that is shocking about your report today is how shocked you seem to be that ordinary citizens would come out to protest the absurdity that is today’s Federal leadership – specifically the White House.
You obviously can’t live without Hasso. Prove me wrong.
Good piece , Thanks Hasso.
When you picket you want the potentially biggest audience, which Ellsworth provides. Unless you were protesting something very specific to Millersburg, a demonstration there wouldn’t get much attention, regardless of the politics.
My experience is that those driving by who disagree with you throw up a middle finger and yell expletives.
ALMOST become a routine? ALMOST? You do realize this is a group or organized people who have this scheduled on their calendars and have had it for a very long time, don’t you?
They are well organized, because they are committed to their cause and passion for showing that they’re serious. ICE tactics and threats/actions that have attacked our nation’s FIRST Amendment, and the rights afforded to Americans to LEGALLY and PEACEFULLY voice their resistance to those attacks have activated people of all ages and backgrounds, to not have that most basic right TRAMPLED upon. I have been involved in many protests in Salem, where I live, and I can honestly verify, that not one person in those 1,000s are paid to attend. THAT IS PROPAGANDA.
I didn’t say they were paid. I said they have it on their schedules. I know several of them and we are good friends. Were you trying to reply to someone else?
A bunch of losers
Surely you have a mirror.
Thrilled with President Trump with all he’s done. People that want to live like Portland but choose a safe street in Albany. They are the first to create a go fund me when crime hits home. Love our legal immigrants and ICE. Even our legal immigrants want safety for their family and families of ICE.
You are solidly with the 36% and plummeting approval rating of ……
It’s so difficult to accept that a very unpopular agenda, has predictably caused millions, to regret their support for a party/politician, who doesn’t follow through with promises and plans that were promised, in exchange for votes. Liars are losers.
Your opinion is not 36 percentile, it is in the 80th percentile. Mr. Anon has no clue. Keep sharing your honest compassion based on reality and the law, not someone’s desire to break any law they don’t like without consequence. That is not democracy, that is anarchy
False. Here’s a link.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/16/trump-approval-rating-maga-midterms/88648483007/
During World War II, the United States started the Bracero Program, which brought Mexican men to the US to work in the fields. After each season, they returned to Mexico. American men were either in the military or building ships and airplanes for the war effort..The war ended and in the early 50’s so did the Bassarro program., but the Mexican workers kept coming and often not returning to Mexico. At that time congress and the president should have acted, but they did not because the problem was small and the farmers got cheap labor and hence Americans got cheaper farm products. For decades politicians kicked the can down the road until it became a crisis. Sooner or later someone had to do something but, because the problem is now so massive there are lots of opinions and no matter what is done some aren’t going to like it. Two things are sure: 1. Action needed to be taken, 2. ICE is out of hand and needs to respect peoples rights and employ proper policing methods.
As a kid I picked berries and beans in the local fields (mid 60s to early 70s). There were many Hispanics working alongside me. They worked hard. I did not give their presence much thought but learned later they were migrant workers who followed the harvest up and down the West Coast. Yes, there should have been some policy put in place to address the long term consequences of unregulated migration
Many stayed because border crossing became increasingly more difficult.
And in reply to Hasso’s comment about not knowing the opposition’s response to honks, I’ve witnessed an open window with a middle finger sticking out.
Weird that democrats have time to protest on a weekday… oh wait, no its not
I appreciate you writing this. I think a lot of people don’t realize how purple Albany really is and I personally love living in a place where there is such a diversity of opinions. I chose Albany over Corvallis because it was much cheaper to live there, and I do think more people are making that decision as well as housing prices in Corvallis stay high. This may bring more young people into Albany and possibly change how the city votes, however I would be interested to see how voting in Albany has changed over the years. I wonder if that might be something to look into Hasso?
If you are politically ranting about the weekly Ellsworth picketing, wait until March 28th when the world will picket on the 3rd NO KINGS RALLY! I would anxiously await your unbiased coverage except I will unsubscribe after sending this. I wish you had stayed with reporting about what you see versus sharing your politics. You certainly wear your biases on your sleeve which is fine and may I suggest you move to Millersburg. You have every right to say your piece but I didn’t sign up for your newsletter for your opinions. I’m sad that you can’t resist using your once helpful and informative news piece for politics. We have enough without you adding to it.
Are Venezuelan & North Korean dictators included, or is this just more TDS?
Are you protesting against England or are there other Kings I’m unaware you don’t like?