COURT HOUSE – The crowd was smaller than the one at the recent No Kings Day rally, but an unofficially estimated 75 to 100 people gathered for several hours on Saturday, Aug. 2, outside the Cape May County Courthouse for another protest of the policies and practices of President Donald Trump.
The protest echoed sentiments expressed at the June 14 No Kings Day rally in Court House, which was held to coincide with Trump’s birthday and a military parade. The No Kings Day event drew about 600 people, according to the Middle Township police, who were at the June event ensuring safety, but were not at the Aug. 2 protest.
One of the event’s organizers, Rimma Devault, told the crowd to respect the Police Department’s wishes for participants to stay out of the street.
The protest was held under the auspices of the group Cape May County United on the occasion of 50501’s national day of peaceful protest, titled “Rage Against the Regime,” which is perhaps a play on the name of a metal rap band called Rage Against the Machine.
DuVault told the crowd that if any opponents tried to interrupt the protest, they were to chant “USA, USA” in response. “Just keep chanting, keep holding up signs, and keep being creative with your signs,” she said.
“Creative” included plays on words or borrowing and modifying certain writings, such as, “First they came for the immigrants; then the universities; then the media outlets, then they came for me.” The message was a rewording of a post-World War II confession by German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoller, who was writing about the Nazis’ victims.
Others also picked up on the Nazi theme, with one sign reading “Don’t Make Me Repeat Myself – History” superimposed over an image of a German flag, and another reading “Stop the Trump Gestapo.” Asked to explain her reason for protesting, that sign holder, Liz Figenshu, said, “I think that democracy is at risk. We are already in an autocratic slide, and we are inching closer to dictatorship.”
Signs also blamed Trump backer Rep. Jeff Van Drew for supporting the addition of $4 trillion to the national debt, cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, and providing $75 billion to ICE – the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Eighty-three-year-old Pat “Nana Pat” Hughes sat behind a sign reading, “When tyranny becomes law, revolution becomes necessary,” which is sometimes incorrectly attributed to Thomas Jefferson but is rather a paraphrasing of some of Jefferson’s ideas as expressed in his writing.
Asked about the goal of the movement and the protests, Devault said they aim to establish a grassroots movement toward change.
“We’re trying to raise it from the ground up. We are spreading the word slowly but surely,” she said.
“If we are persistent we can achieve our goal. We can change the hate and make decency cool again.”
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or call 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
