On Friday March 14, I joined about 150 people in a noisy protest in front of Senator Chuck Schumer’s NYC office on Third Avenue. Amid cries of “Shame! Shame! Shame!” we demanded that he vote NO on empowering Trump and Musk for six more months of destruction. Anyone who follows the news knows how Schumer wavered on this question before coming down on the side of playing it safe and voting YES. His argument was that voters would blame the Democrats for a resulting shutdown. Of course, not everybody thinks Trump will even allow an election in two or four years if he gets away with the coup he and Musk are now orchestrating.
Activists outside Schumer’s NYC office
This morning, I joined a far larger crowd numbering in the thousands gathered in Foley Square and marched to Wall Street. This protest consisted of a wide spectrum of New Yorkers. Union members and immigrant rights advocates were there in strength, as were Democratic Socialists and other progressive and left groups. A majority was probably just everyday people who showed up with their own handmade signs. Music and dancing were the warmup and then we were off, filling Broadway for blocks. Bystanders were uniformly supportive and everything was as peaceful as could be, including the staged “Die-In.”
Rallies like these build a fighting spirit, sorely needed in these dark times. But they are only previews of the far larger mass movements that certainly lie ahead in coming months. We met no opposition here in New York but we cannot forget that the Trump dictatorship regards all dissent as treasonous. A week ago, Mahmoud Khalil was kidnapped by federal agents for helping to organize demonstrations not so different from today’s. And the fact that our NYPD officers were friendly today does not mean that violent repression of protests will not be a reality across the country in the months ahead. But we must not lose courage. This is, after all, what democracy looks like.
See today’s diary by Vetwife on the huge nationwide demonstrations planned for April 5.
Also, you can see a livestream of the whole march at the Status Coup YouTube channel.
