Thousands of Rhode Islanders participated in protests against President Trump on Saturday, expressing hope that their dissent will send a loud message against the president and his policies.
“It’s important to show that people all over the country are furious with the way in which his arrogance and his tyranny has taken over,” said Rick Whalen of North Smithfield, part of a crowd estimated by police at 3,000 to 4,000 people who gathered in front of the Statehouse for a midday demonstration.
Whalen said his grandparents were Irish immigrants who worked as servants on the East Side, and his father fought against the Nazis in Europe during World War II. “This is not the kind of democracy that they lived for or fought for,” he said.
A series of protests were held throughout Rhode Island, as part of a national day of action with the organizing theme of “No Kings.”
Thousands also gathered for a separate early afternoon demonstration at India Point Park in Providence, organized by Indivisible Rhode Island. The speakers included U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and Rhode Island AFL-CIO President Patrick Crowley.
The protests took place hours before a military parade in Washington, D.C. planned by President Trump, honoring Flag Day and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army – which also coincided with his 79th birthday.
Back at the Statehouse, the crowd chanted and cheered as speakers criticized Trump, citing GOP plans to cut Medicaid, health insurance coverage, and food assistance.
A number of signs and chants singled out raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
“We just want people to be united against Donald Trump,” said Lauren DelSignore, one of the organizers with the 50501 movement. “We want all people to come together from all backgrounds and all demographics to realize that we are one under this nation. We are here to support immigrants, we are here to support Palestine, we’re here to support elderly, we’re here to support veterans, we’re here to support LGBQ and trans people.”
The last Republican president to win Rhode Island was Ronald Reagan in 1984, although pockets of the state support Trump and he won almost 42% of the vote here last year.
Debbie and Chad Beringer of Providence held a quilt created for the rally by Debbie Beringer featuring the message, “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.”
“It’s a rage quilt,” Debbie Beringer said. “It’s distressed fabrics because the country is distressed, so even though there’s fraying apart, it’s with Martin Luther King Jr.’s comment: ‘There comes a time when silence is betrayal.’”
Describing different parts of the quilt, she said, “So you’ll see that people are trying to put things back together with tape, and this is flying by the seat of your pants, and this is ‘no kings, except for a chicken.’”
Beringer said she hoped the demonstration will have an effect.
“I hope it will, I do,” she said, “because there are so many people out here just being very positive, and it’s just about being able to have your voice and not be silent. You know, we’ve got to get out there and really let people know how we feel and what’s important for us.”
Paul Leclerc from East Greenwich said things have changed for the worse since Trump’s first term, and that the president is “undermining democratic institutions, democratic processes, and I agree with those who say he’s trying to develop an authoritarian takeover of our institutions.”
Leclerc said he hoped events like the protest outside the Statehouse spark greater awareness, with more people “waking up from not realizing what is going on. We just want people to know that this is not normal, this is not typical, this is not normal politics. This is a moment of crisis for our country and we need to address it, and we all need to get involved.”
