At noon on Saturday, March 15, more than 100 people appeared on Newton Centre Green with a variety of homemade signs, protesting the actions of the Trump Administration. The one-hour stand-outs –noon to 1PM — are the collaborative initiative of three Newton activists — Nadine Cohen, Susan Davidoff, and Lynn Weissberg — responding to their feelings of anger and frustration at a stream of executive orders and attacks on government programs. Ms. Weissberg said they were aiming to fill a void for others who wanted to express their concerns.
“The last few months have been horrible for so many of us,” Susan Davidoff told the Fig City News, noting “the frightening rate at which Trump and Musk were solidifying their power.” She explained that Nadine Cohen, a lawyer specializing in civil rights and fair housing, felt that people needed to be on street corners holding signs, and so the standouts became a reality. “Sometimes, when you don’t know what to do, get out and stand on a corner,” she said. Ms. Weissberg said that for the first standout, they sent emails to 100 people. Many of the recipients belonged to various local organizations. Ms. Cohen supplied signs for people who wanted them.
By the second standout, on March 22, people who had not been to the first event joined the group, bringing a wide range of homemade signs. Many spoke of the need to be with others for the support and opportunity to protest Trump administration actions. The organizers promised that they would be at Newton Centre Green every Saturday for the foreseeable future. State Representatives Greg Schwartz and Amy Sangiolo and several Newton City Councilors joined the demonstrators as well.
Senator Ed Markey accepted an invitation to join the March 29 standout to exhort people to continue to resist the administration’s actions. An enthusiastic crowd, many carrying signs, gathered in spite of the drizzle and cold temperatures. Wearing a cap with a 1775 inscription, Sen. Markey told them, “We are the Revolutionary state.” He noted that in two weeks we will be celebrating the ride of Paul Revere and the battle of Lexington and Concord. “We are the resistance,” he said, recalling the Abolitionists and the Civil Rights movement. “Did people get knocked down?,” he asked the crowd. “Yes,” but they got back up and fought to win. “You are the resistance movement,” he told them, “and everything we care about is on the table: Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, programs that help protect society.” As people cheered, he concluded, “Massachusetts will be the leader in bringing the counter-revolution to this country.”
Karen Bray said she joined other members of Newton Indivisible at the Saturday standout “because Trump and Musk and many of these Republicans in power have the goal of completely taking over our democracy and turning it into an authoritarian police state.” She said these standouts will be part of her Saturday schedule.
Josephine MacNeil, the longtime head of CAN-DO (Citizens for Affordable Housing in Newton Development Organization) told Fig City News, “The number of people who attended the first one was an indication of how hungry people were to do ‘something’ to demonstrate their frustration. I am pleased that the numbers increased each week.” She was particularly impressed by the number of attendees on March 29 “despite the inclement weather.” At the same time, she “would like to see signage on the roll back of rights gained during the Civil Rights movement.” Ms. MacNeil plans to be at ongoing standouts.
Among the youngest members at the March 29 standout, Alex Jablon said he was there because “we need to express anger, we need to show up.” Mr. Jablon ran for State Representative to succeed Kay Khan, but lost to Amy Sangiolo. Asked why there were so few younger people on the Newton Centre Green, he suggested that “young people feel that what they do won’t matter.” He thinks that some young males responded to Donald Trump’s ”toxic alpha male” message. In addition, he offered the view that younger people want instant gratification and the Biden Administration’s huge infrastructure projects will require a long time for completion. He said that they responded to “fear mongering” about immigrants, and he also pointed to Newton’s expensive housing market as a barrier to younger people.
Noting that the standouts will continue as long as people show up, Ms. Cohen said: “It is important for regular people who are concerned about what their government is doing to speak out. All of us have an obligation not to be silent in the face of attacks on our democracy. Being together in community with like-minded people empowers us and makes our views known.” For Ms. Davidoff, the standouts in Newton reflect the “privilege of being here.” She told of a friend who teaches in a school where many in the largely immigrant, Spanish-speaking student body are afraid to attend class. She suggested that the RESIST the Coup attendees make signs saying “I’m here because others can’t be.”
