PORTSMOUTH — Flashing signs reading “Trumpers, Are You Feeling it Yet?,” “Time to Take Our Country Back,” “Gov’t for the People,” and “Engaged …
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PORTSMOUTH — Flashing signs reading “Trumpers, Are You Feeling it Yet?,” “Time to Take Our Country Back,” “Gov’t for the People,” and “Engaged & Enraged,” about 20 protesters lined the sidewalks at the corner of East Main Road and Turnpike Avenue Thursday afternoon to shout out their feelings about the current administration.
If that sounds familiar, it was less than a month ago when another rally protesting the Trump administration was held at the same intersection, although Thursday’s was considerably smaller. While the April 5 “Hands Off” rally organized by Carol Anderheggen drew about 150 people, a modest 20 or so turned out for this rush-hour protest.
Still, organizer Mark Johnson was pleased with the assembly since he basically put the event together at the last minute.
“May Day is for workers’ rights basically, so we’re using it as a little demonstration of looking out for the little guy — as opposed to the big guys in the current administration,” said Johnson.
Johnson was holding a sign that read, “Good Governments Don’t Disappear People,” a reference to President Trump’s deportation orders, the legality of which has been questioned by numerous judges and law experts.Johnson himself is worried about his own future. “My 401k is definitely taking a hit. I’m a couple of years away from retirement age and I’m hoping I’ll be able to do it without hardship, as do many other people,” he said.
“I’m worried that the country is just not what it used to be.”
Standing up for vets
Standing next to him was Grace Dotson, a retired registered nurse.
“I’m standing up for the rights of the American citizens and democracy,” she said. “One third of all federal workers are veterans. My late mother-in-law was a POW in Germany for nine months, and we as a country need to stand up for our people and stand up for democracy. Now’s the time.”Making it down from the south end of the island was Robert Vitello, treasurer of the Newport Democratic Committee.
“I’m here in solidarity with the whole island and we’re looking to draw attention to the fact that everything that’s happening is unconstitutional and our democracy is going in the wrong direction,” Vitello said. “Not only that, the measures that Trump has taken are really decimating our economy. It’s nothing about efficiency in my mind; it’s really fattening the pockets of people like Elon Musk and impairing the agencies that are out there looking after consumers and protections.”
Vitello said there’s a growing sentiment, even among Trump supporters, that the president’s economic policies are doing more harm than good to Americans. He expressed that view through his sign, which reported the results of a recent ABC/Washington Post poll on citizens’ feelings about Trump’s economic policy decisions: 39 percent approve, 61 percent disapprove.Taking away safety nets
Laura Walker didn’t attend the April 5 rally in Portsmouth because she was at the larger protest in Providence. She’s the co-leader of Indivisible Island, which falls under the nationwide Indivisible network as well as Indivisible RI. The groups say they work to resist the GOP’s agenda, elect candidates they support, and fight for democratic policies benefiting everyday people.
“May 1 is National Workers’ Day, and we talk about supporting unions and making sure that working families get the support that they need because no government ever fully funds what working families really need,” Walker said.
“This administration in particular is trying to take away a lot of safety nets. In my personal opinion, we should be enacting a wealth tax here in Rhode Island to help pay for these things — we’ve got people on the streets, people with no health care, the housing crisis is abhorrent, and even the education system is not being fully funded. You take care of those basics and society will flourish. You take it away and it’s going to crumble a bit.”
Walker said she was impressed when she heard how many people attended the April 5 rally in Portsmouth. “That just shows that this community wants to advocate and wants to stand up,” she said.She expects more such rallies in the future.
“Especially once tourism season starts and more people come in,” she said. “It’s a great way to get visibility and get the message across. And also for people on the opposite to see that we’re just regular folks — and vice versa. You look over and you see your grandma, your teacher. We’re just trying to make a difference in our own little way.”