Speaker at ‘No Kings’ rally: ‘We believe in hope’

As millions of people did at hundreds of similar events nationwide, residents assembled for a “No Kings” rally early Saturday afternoon, June 14 on the Newton Green.

Those protesting President Donald Trump’s policies held American flags and signs that said, “Fight ignorance, not immigrants,” “Human rights are not a matter of opinion” and “I have friends everywhere,” among others.

Many chanted as cars drove by, some honking their horns in support. As they marched along the Green, songs such as “U.S. Blues” by the Grateful Dead and “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke played.

Andrei Camurungan, an organizer with NJ 50501, the group responsible for the Newton protest, called the rallies effective. 50501 refers to “50 states, 50 protests, one movement.”

There has been a “growing sense of visible, palpable resistance in this area,” he said.

“As organizers in Newton, all I can really say is we are humbled,” Camurungan said. “We are humbled by the opportunity and we are humbled by the responsibility. And we are enthusiastic to continue and to bring it forward, to empower other people in the community.

“It’s not just the fact that they are coming to our events, it’s the fact that people are feeling sufficiently emboldened to want to organize themselves.”

Throughout the rally, people wearing neon green vests were present in case of disturbances along with numerous police officers.

During the opening remarks, a safety briefing was given, advising protesters not to interact with potential counter-protesters and to look out for one another.

To kick off the rally, Angela DeLuccia, president of the Sussex County Education Association, told the crowd, “We do not serve kings.” “We fight for freedom and we show up for each other.

“We are organized, we are a community, and we believe in neighborhoods that are safe, joyful, liberating for every student, family and neighbor,” she said in the speech. “We believe in learning, not censorship; in belonging, not surveillance; in equity, dignity, freedom for all. And yes, we believe in hope, not the passive kind that waits but the bold kind that builds.”

As the protesters walked around the Green, they chanted, “No kings, no crowns.”

Jennifer Downing of Stockholm mentioned the killing of Melissa Hortman, former speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, and her husband, John, and the shooting of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in their homes earlier that morning.

“Clearly this has gotten out of hand,” she said. “People are being targeted: immigrants, innocents, Democrats - there is vilification for everyone. No one seems to be safe in this fascist autocracy, which is also an oligarchy, which is now the secondary issue. The oligarchy is the secondary issue; the fascism is the primary issue.

“And until and unless we uphold the Constitution, this is going to continue,” she added. “And Congress will not do its job. The Republican Congress will not do its job. So that’s where we are, and that’s why we are here.”

JoAnne DiGilio of Washington, N.J., had a sign on her back that said in big letters, “I walk today.”

Under it, she listed the people for whom she attended the protest: her two sons; her daughter, who works as a nurse at a hospital; and her grandchildren. It said one of her sons is an educator at an inner-city school who confronts racism every day and the other fought in Iraq and Afghanistan “but could no longer live in this world.”

At the conclusion of the rally, several protesters walked together to the nearby Sussex County Pride celebration. As they walked, they chanted, “This is what democracy looks like.”

Karen Carney of Jefferson said she attended the protest because she wanted to do her part in upholding democracy, even in her “limited capacity.”

“I really do believe that we are not treating all of the people in our country the way they need to be treated,” she said. “The message has to get through somehow, and if this is part of the message to Washington, then I’ll be a part of that.”