By ZACH LAIRD, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD, NH — Hundreds of people gathered outside the State House on Sunday for a “Not My Presidents Day Rally” hosted by NH 50501, to voice concerns about the Trump Administration’s agenda and actions taken by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) locally and nationally.
By 1 p.m., North Main Street in front of the State House was filled with peaceful protestors lining both sides of the street. Many held signs that said “Resist,” “ICE Out NH,” and “Snow good, ICE bad.”
NH 50501 is a grassroots organization in New Hampshire that advocates for change through peaceful protests and demonstrations, according to its mission statement.
“It’s our way of getting the community together to oppose what’s going on here, and we don’t claim (Donald) Trump as our president. He’s not representing us in any sort of way that anyone would want to be represented… If we can get even 10 more people at each protest, that’s a win in my eyes; because people need to get mad. Especially with what just dropped about the Epstein files, people aren’t mad enough,” organization co-founder Chris Farrell said.
Co-founder Lark Moinoto expressed concerns that she feels the Trump Administration and ICE are following a similar path to Germany in the 1930s.
“In college, we went to Germany and Poland, and we went to a couple of concentration camps. We learned a lot about what Hitler had said to the German people prior to going to war… They (the Trump Administration) are following that playbook, basically line-by-line, and it’s rather freaky how well it’s getting across to some people,” Moinoto said.
Farrell said, “I think the biggest problem is that a lot of the heavy Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters actually think they’re on the right side, that they’re doing what needs to be done to save this country… They don’t feel like they’re doing anything wrong (or) violating human rights because, in their heart of hearts, they feel like true patriots doing the right thing. I think that’s where the greatest divide in this country is happening.”
Attendee Milo Kruczynska said she felt it was her civic duty to join the demonstration. She added that it’s what “being an American is all about, and when you see evil: do something.”
Kruczynska continued that she hopes to create long lasting change in her community. She said she cares about the children, adults, and elderly who live within the community, and that “long-term, when we get rid of evil, good things will grow in its place.”
Another attendee, Pam Power, echoed that sentiment. She said she feels it’s vital for people to come out, be visible, and express their outrage, adding that to make change, one of the only ways is to join demonstrations to resist what’s happening.
Larry Brekenridge, who also attended the demonstration, raised concerns about the plans for the ICE detention facility in Merrimack.
“It’s very important that we don’t have a warehouse concentration camp in our community, and that we don’t have the presence of ICE agents in our community either…I hope to carry some momentum into the midterms, so we can make it very clear that from a dogcatcher to a senator that New Hampshire supports human rights,” Brekenridge said.