For the second time in two weeks Kai Ryon joined hundreds of Buncombe County Democrats at a town-hall gathering to protest the Trump administration’s blitzkrieg attacks on federal programs.

Last week, Ryon was among the overflow crowd of protesters who jammed and surrounded the Ferguson Auditorium on Asheville’s A-B Tech campus to rain fury on Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards, who hosted the town hall despite warnings from GOP leaders that such meetings could turn ugly. 

It did exactly that, prompting the congressman to leave amid tight security as some in the crowd — the 32-year-old Ryon among them — shouted “save our democracy” and a chorus of f-bombs in his wake.

Ryon was back in the same auditorium Thursday night, this time in a much smaller and more restrained audience of Buncombe Democrats. There were no throngs of counter-protesters, no angry placards or banners, and mostly respectful silence as Democratic speakers detailed their efforts to mitigate the massive cuts in federal programs and staff through the state’s budget. 

Although these legislative actions may be worthy, Ryon said, they aren’t enough.

“I know I am not alone when I say that I’m frustrated, angry, shocked about what’s happening right now,” the lanky construction worker said when he was called on to speak from his seat near the back of the packed auditorium. 

“I’m trying to figure out a way to leverage my privilege to help those that are less privileged,” Ryon said. “I am through with civil-engagement protest and, frankly, I’m looking to see the Democratic Party show some teeth.” 

The audience erupted in cheers and applause, quieting only when Ryon continued to detail recent reprisals by the Trump administration on its policy critics. 

“My question to you guys,” he said, addressing the panel of state legislators, “is: How concerned are you moving forward as things get worse, and, what can we do in the meantime?”

The legislators — state Reps. Lindsey Prather, Brian Turner and Eric Ager, and state Sen. Julie Mayfield — each explained a variety of bills working their way through the Republican-controlled state General Assembly, and the work of the party’s legislative delegation in countering the federal cuts. 

“Show some teeth”

But it was Ryon’s demand for the Democrats to “show some teeth” that appeared to encapsulate the audience’s mood and trigger the loudest responses. 

Ager replied directly to Ryon’s appeal, though with a modest recommendation. “We are all in a place where we are really wondering how and what we can do,” he said. “This is a great start. Showing up at these things shows you pay attention and want to make a difference.”

Ager and his colleagues urged the audience to channel their anger into community networking by joining clubs, attending school board meetings, befriending “people who don’t hold the same political views,” or doing public-service volunteer work for nonprofits and other agencies experiencing or facing budget and staffing cuts under the Trump administration. 

Ager, a farmer and U.S. Navy veteran who represents District 114 south and east of Asheville,  also said that mass protests and individual outreach might persuade even incumbent Republicans to find “the courage to stand up” against the Trump administration and exercise the constitutional role of oversight and budgeting. 

Mayfield, an attorney who represents District 49 in the state Senate, urged Democrats to be willing to work with Edwards and the state’s Republican U.S. senators, Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, who have been instrumental in steering federal money into the region to assist in the recovery from Tropical Storm Helene. 

A self-described “practical progressive,” Mayfield said that while many residents may be angry with the Republican administration, if they phone these three GOP lawmakers, they would do well by starting the conversation by expressing gratitude for their efforts in sending federal dollars to the region. 

“Then you can go ahead and fuss at them,” she said.

Prather also emphasized the value of direct involvement in countering the GOP’s policies. “Your Facebook screams and posting comments under [news media] articles doesn’t count,” she said. Among the actions people can take is to push back against bias and false information, to be willing to confront someone by saying, “that’s actually not true.”

“We all have to believe that truth still matters,” Prather, a former teacher who represents District 115 north and west of Asheville, continued. “If we don’t believe that, we’re absolutely lost.”

Change of mood

The Buncombe Democratic gathering was part of the party’s effort to build interest in advance of a protest rally planned for Pack Square in downtown Asheville on Sunday. 

The mood at Thursday’s town hall suggested that local Democrats are shifting their posture from one of stunned shock to calls for action. Ager told The Watchdog in an interview that he sensed this change in mood. 

“The Trump administration’s strategy has been to overwhelm their critics by throwing everything at them at once,” Ager said. “The Democratic Party has been pushed onto its back foot by these things. But I see that we’re getting off that back foot now and moving forward; we’re seeing things starting to change.”

One woman in the audience, identified only by her zip code, said she previously worked in programs supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) combating the spread of COVID-19. 

“It was shocking to have an agency ended in 10 days, its website taken down and 13,100 projects cut with lighting speed,” she said. “The courts can’t even stay or keep up.”

Even if federal courts eventually rule against the Trump administration’s cuts, “the damage is done and the nonprofits doing the good, local work in the field for the poorest people, they’re gone.” 

The woman placed the blame for this on billionaire Trump backer Elon Musk, who contributed $288 million to the president’s campaign and is orchestrating the federal cuts as the nominal leader of the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. 

She asked the legislative panel if anything can be done to stop or reverse Musk’s activities. “This is the dismantling of the federal government,” she said.

Mayfield, the sole lawyer on the panel, offered a blunt reply: “Almost everything he is doing is illegal, is unconstitutional, and there will be consequences for that.”

“We’re going to go through a messy, horrible time,” Mayfield said. “And then judges, I hope, will start throwing some people in jail.”

In an interview after the program, Ryon had a more measured response. “The Democratic Party is at a crossroads,” he said, adding that this was his reason for attending the meeting and speaking up. 

“Maybe it’s naive, but I would like to think that my being here maybe helps steer it in the right direction,” Ryon said.

Asheville Watchdog welcomes thoughtful reader comments on this story, which has been republished on our Facebook page. Please submit your comments there. 

Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Tom Fiedler is a Pulitzer Prize-winning political reporter and dean emeritus from Boston University who lives in Asheville. Email him at tfiedler@avlwatchdog.org. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.

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