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Voices from the crowd Signs were everywhere at Women's March Southern Oregon in Ashland on Saturday. Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch Saturday Jan 21, 2017 at 3:41 PM Jan 24, 2017 at 10:29 AM Nick Morgan Mail Tribune @mtcrimebeat In solidarity with the national Women's March rallies across the country, locals by the thousands gathered in Ashland to march together on Saturday. Rain early in the day turned to cloudy skies and then sunshine as the march progressed. The crowd of women, men and children was easily more than double the 3,000 people organizers had expected. Marchers waved signs saying "Girls just want to have fun-damental rights" and "No Pence in my pants" among other slogans as they made their way from the Ashland library to Lithia Park. Before the march, women of all ages voiced concerns about the incoming president and their rights. Among the younger demonstrators in front of the Ashland library were 16-year-old Marissa Sattar and 15-year-old McKayla Williams, both students at South Medford High School.  Both said they wanted to stand up for future generations' rights. Holding a sign saying "A woman's place is in the revolution," Sattar said she remembered a group of kids chanting "we are the white supremacists" on her school campus the day after the election. She said she wanted to look back in the future knowing she stood up. "I grew up thinking I didn't have a voice because I was a girl," Sattar said, adding that she hoped that wouldn't be the case in the future. Both young women said they were shocked when they heard the "Access Hollywood" video, in which then reality TV star Donald Trump was heard boasting of forcing himself on women. Williams said her first reaction was, "I don't want this man to be our president." "Sexual predator in chief!" a demonstrator interjected with a pained look on her face.  Kay Cutter, 76, of Ashland, said she'd never been to a political demonstration before. "I'm a total non-activist, normally," Cutter said. "Desperate times call for desperate measures." It was also the first time demonstrating for Tom Sorenson of Grants Pass, a retired teacher who marched with his wife, Joanne Sorenson. "I feel like we have no say unless we unite," Tom Sorenson said. Holding signs saying "Rigged Election" and "Impeach Compadre Trump," Joanne Sorenson said she didn't believe the incoming president speaks for the majority of Americans, citing recent changes to the White House website such as the removal of LGBT rights and climate change pages. "To us he does not represent how to 'Make America Great Again,' " she said. Corinne Swick and her husband, Iiro Gronroos, of Medford pulled their two young children in a little red wagon and gave the kids signs saying, "We are brave, we are strong, we are marching for our bright future." Swick said she was "sad," "mad" and "disappointed" that Trump was elected. She said she was particularly concerned about paid leave and health care for women. "These things aren't just women's issues, but issues for humanity," Swick said. A rough crowd count of marchers yielded an estimate of 8,000, more than double the 2,844 people on the event's Facebook page who said they went. Ashland police were prepared for "thousands," modeling their handling of the event after Ashland's Halloween and Fourth of July parades, Deputy Chief Warren Hensman said. "We see all kinds of demonstrations in Ashland," Hensman said. "It's a great community, it's something we see plenty of." The event organizers paid for Ashland police overtime, among other permit application fees, according to a page set up on the crowdfunding page GoFundMe. As of Saturday afternoon the organizers had exceeded their $5,000 goal by $865. — Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat.