Two words best describe the mood and the motivation that brought several hundred protesters to Niagara Square on March 4 as part of the nationally-organized “March Forth for Democracy” — frustration with President Trump’s actions and fears that he will only be more autocratic and vindictive.
The protesters were greeted by a symphony of beeping car horns and shouts of support from passing vehicles.
NAT SOUND: “HEY, HEY, HO, HO TRUMP MUST GO.”
It made for a scene and has drawn parallels to the anti-Vietnam protests of the 1960s and the anti-Nixon protests of the early 1970s.
Coming together were residents from around the region. There was a healthy mix of young and old, well-to-do and others just scraping by. Venom directed at Trump and his advisor Elon Musk proved to be the common bond.
That’s what brought Kathleen Stewart from the Town of Tonawanda to Niagara Square…
“I just feel that what Trump is doing is totally wrong. He's destroying our democracy; his meeting with Zelenskyy just turned my stomach,” Stewart said.
The March 4th protest was put together by the local branches of the “Power to the People” and 50-50-1 movement. Chief organizer Peter McNamara says he’s overwhelmed by the growing support and participation from such a diverse cross section of area residents.
“I think that it was absurd to disrespect Zelenskyy in that way. America should be protecting its allies, not trying to extort them or act like a mafia saying, “Ah, you need our protection”, or anything like that. We should be working with our allies, not antagonizing them,” McNamara said.
So what happens next?
More protests, including one set for April 5 - also in Niagara Square, says Victoria Ross, Western New York Peace Center community coordinator.
Also, there is more pressure on local congressmen and senators to support the still-growing grassroots-driven protests.
“You can see that people are interested. So, we're just going to keep on growing. We're going to have a Buffalo United march on April 5th, here in Niagara Square; there'll be a rally in March. So, people should be looking for that, and we have a more powerful force, so we will prevail,” Ross said.
