ELY— Freezing temperatures, a brisk breeze, and some light snow didn’t seem to discourage the 120 people who turned out on Saturday for what has become an ongoing protest against the policies of the Trump administration.
The national grassroots “50501” movement helped coordinate over 700 protest events on Saturday. 50501 is just one of the groups that helped organize the April 5 “Hands Off” protests, along with MoveOn and several other groups. However, the local protest appeared to be a homegrown effort started by local business owner Ozzie Reif. “I made a flyer and put it on Facebook, but that’s all I did. Others are engaged and they spread the word.”
Saturday’s protest, which drew over 120 to Whiteside Park at its peak, saw somewhat fewer participants than the April 5 event, which peaked at just over 200. So, why organize a second protest in under a month? “They are not stopping what they are doing in Washington so I’m not going to stop protesting,” responded Reif.
New and repeat protesters
Retired miner and steelworkers’ union member Bill Erzar, of Morse Township, who attended the April 5 protest, was back on Saturday carrying his same sign in support of veterans. Erzar said the layoffs of Veterans Administration employees in Minneapolis adversely affected his recent visit to the VA offices there. “This random firing of people makes no sense,” he said.
Heidi Mann was also back with her homemade “Cat Lady for Congresspeople with Backbones” sign, an apparent poke at Eighth District Rep. Pete Stauber, who has refused to hold in-person town hall meetings in his district, despite constant urging from his constituents.
Several in the crowd were there for the first time, like one woman from the Twin Cities who asked that her name be withheld. “This is the first time I’ve been at a protest,” she told the Timberjay, “but what’s going on is just wrong. The Constitution matters, the rule of law matters, and human rights matter.”
It was also the first Ely protest for Tim McKenzie, whose artistic “Trump, the floater that won’t flush” sign, showing Trump’s orange-haired head swirling in a toilet bowl refusing to be flushed, was probably the funniest at the event. “I was at the Capitol in St. Paul for the last protest (on April 5). It was a family affair for me with my sisters,” McKenzie said.
Civil discourse
In an interesting display that was worthy of the best aims of the Braver Angels movement for civility in American political discourse, one Ely resident with views more favorable toward the Trump Administration’s actions showed up and politely spoke with the protesters about their views.
Mike Forsman walked along the sidewalk where the protesters had spread out along the Sheridan St. side of the park. The three Forsman conversations observed by the Timberjay appeared polite and and respectful, like watching a Braver Angels playbook for civility while discussing opposing political views.
One attendee of the protest reported to the Timberjay that she was upset that Forsman appeared to be recording his conversations with the protesters on his cell phone, which was plainly visible in his hand.
The Timberjay caught up to Forsman while he was speaking with Heidi Mann and asked him about his recording conversations. At the time, he was discussing with Mann their different views on whether the U.S. courts had the legal authority to order the administration to retrieve the illegally deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia from the El Salvadorean prison he was sent without due process — a conversation where both appeared to agreeably agree to disagree.
“I was thinking about maybe blogging about this, so I wanted to capture what people were saying accurately,” was Forsman’s response.