Rallies in Greenport, Riverhead against Trump: Shelter Islanders make the trip to protest policies
Several hundred residents of Greenport, Shelter Island, and Southold Town rallied on Saturday, April 5, in Greenport to demonstrate their opposition to the policies being carried out by President Donald Trump.
Steady rain started just as the rally at Mitchell Park got underway, but protesters remained until the demonstration ended after about 90 minutes.
The so-called “Hands Off” movement — a coalition of organizations ranging from the civil rights and women’s rights groups to labor unions — organized the nationwide demonstrations on April 5.
Rallies and protests against Trump administration polices brought thousands of Long Islanders into the streets on Saturday, with a large demonstration in Riverhead, and protests reported in towns and villages across Nassau and Suffolk counties.
The protests were in all 50 states, with reports of tens of thousands of people marching in Washington demonstrating against cuts of government employees and services.
At the Greenport rally, about 20 Islanders made the cross-bay trip, including Councilman Gordon Gooding, who held a sign reading, “History is watching us.”
Islander Wendy Turgeon said it was heartening to see so many people come out on a day when the weather was so bad, but she wished there had been more young people in the crowd. The protests are very much for their future, she added. Ms. Turgeon also wondered how many people, who have never attended a protest, were in attendance, moved to act by what’s going on in the country.
“People have to contact members of Congress to try to move them to act on behalf of constituents whose interests are being ignored,” Ms. Turgeon said.
Islander Ann Biddlecom attended because she said she “couldn’t stay silent in the midst of the horrors being done by this government. You could feel the Island energy as we walked onto the ferry with homemade signs and the thrill of connecting with other people who felt the same way. We were loud and charged, even with icy rain flying all around us.”
Islander Jeanne Merkel said the protest was “effective in raising our spirits, showing us we’re not alone, and inspiring us to collective action. Anger is understandable, but we have to understand the authoritarian playbook and channel our energy into creating a positive and inspiring movement to counteract it.”
Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni (D-Sag harbor), who represents Shelter Island, told the Greenport crowd that the services being taken away are ones that the government is obligated to offer.
Ask your congressman to uphold the tenets of our constitution, he appealed to the gathering, referring to Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville). Residents should tell their elected representatives to “Do your job,” and demand action.
Southold Councilman Greg Doroski (D), who has announced he’s running for the Suffolk County Legislative seat held by Catherine Stark (R), questioned why she wasn’t at the rally. “This is a country we will fight for,” Mr. Doroski told the crowd. The Trump administration is cutting vital services, including Medicaid for those in need of healthcare, in order to give the richest in the country $1.5 trillion in tax cuts he said.
“In the rain, in the cold, we are standing here saying we will not stand for this,” Mr. Doroski said.
“I’m a mild mannered library worker,” Southold Councilman Brian Mealy (D) said. As resources are being taken away by the federal government — including aid to libraries — he pledged to show compassion for those whose rights and needs, he said, are being stripped away.
Protest chants were heard through the rainy, windy day. When Southold resident Caroline Peabody asked the soaking wet crowd to join her to march through Greenport, almost every person did.
