America will mark 250 years since the first conflict of the Revolutionary War on Saturday.
The Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 symbolized our then-fledgling nation's assertion that tyranny was over and democracy would take its place.

"Things are getting very not normal," said Jim Allgren, outreach and community engagement coordinator of Mahoning Valley Freedom Fighters.

The recent times are why Allgren got involved with the group, after attending an event in support of Ukraine.

"We're basically a grassroots organization," says Allgren. "We've got people from across the political spectrum, across the social spectrum."

That spectrum includes moderate Republicans and Democrats angry at their own party.
The group is leading a demonstration Saturday, called "Echoes of April 19". It'll be held rain or shine from 3pm to 6pm in front of the Mahoning County Courthouse.

It's the latest in a series of events that has included the "Hands Off" protest two weeks ago, and an event last month calling for more direct engagement from Congressman Mike Rulli.

"We're going to have some speakers and we're going to be showing off our signs and making our voices heard," Allgren said. "We're just looking to make some positive change in our community and in our country."

The group wants to do that through more than just demonstrations.
They're working to organize community clean-ups and other volunteer functions.

"Everybody is going to have a voice, so if you go to the website MahoningValleyFreedomFighters.com and get on board with us, because we want to hear what the community wants, we don't want to tell them what they want. There's been too much of that going on already!"