CNY Solidarity protesters voice dissatisfaction with Trump administration
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Holding signs with phrases including “Honk for Democracy” and “Vote them out, flip the House,” members of CNY Solidarity Coalition stood at the intersection of North Geddes Street and West Genesee Street on Friday for their weekly pop-up protest to “protect” the Constitution.
Though the exact location changes weekly, CNY Solidarity has organized pop-up demonstrations across Onondaga County every Friday for over a year. The protests are part of the group’s efforts to stand up for human rights and protest the current federal administration, according to its website.
“(The demonstrations) serve to remind the public that political opposition to this regime is ongoing and visible in our community,” Former Syracuse University professor Mark Rupert wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange. “It tells people who are not actively involved with us, but share our profound concerns about the anti-democratic character of this regime that they are not alone, that there are many others who feel the same way and are willing to act on those concerns.”
Rupert now serves on CNY Solidarity’s Coordinating Committee.
The demonstrators are committed to nonviolent exercises of First Amendment rights. Its leadership reminds members not to engage with hecklers or counter-demonstrators. By participating in the events, attendees are agreeing to abide by those guidelines. Volunteer marshals and medics are on site at larger demonstrations to keep participants safe, Rupert said.
CNY Solidarity is a sister organization to Indivisible Onondaga County, a grassroots movement “dedicated to creating an inclusive democracy,” according to its Facebook page.
Judy Jerome, one of the chairpersons of the Protest Committee of CNY Solidarity and Indivisible Onondaga County, was a member of Indivisible Mohawk Valley before moving back to Syracuse five years ago. She said she immediately got involved with Syracuse’s Indivisible organization when she returned.
“We all need to be together and express our dissatisfaction with the rise of the fascist regime,” Jerome said. “So, I do my part. The least I can do is show up.”
Rupert said he keeps returning to the protests because it makes him feel better about the world, calling the demonstrations a “psychological lift.” He’s been involved with the organization since 2017, and said when he first started he and other members were concerned about the current political state of the world. But now, he said, “we’re in crisis mode.”
Heather Gullo has also been involved in protests for nearly a decade, her first one being the 2017 Women’s Marches. She also noticed a shift in people’s opinions toward protesting and the administration as a whole. Gullo’s first protests were joyful, she said, and now they’re “a little more ragey.”
Heather Gullo has seen protests change from joyful to “a little more ragey” since 2017. Daniel Carson | Contributing Photographer
Gullo said she brings extra signs to every pop-up for people who stop to join her and the other demonstrators. Another demonstrator, Christine Herb, said since the pop-ups began, she has also seen an increase in support from the community.
“There’s always been support, but now people are so angry. They’re so upset that it’s a relief to see people saying something, doing something about what you’re worried about,” Herb said. “Hopefully they’ll even come and make our numbers larger.”
Not all reactions to the pop-ups are positive, with one driver passing through the protest rolling down his window and saying “I support Donald Trump,” before driving away.
Rupert said “MAGA loyalists” express hostility toward the demonstrators, rather than simply disagreeing, calling them vulgar names or revving their engines to drown out their chants. However, Rupert said it’s clear that the majority of people the demonstrators encounter react favorably to their messaging.
Demonstrators at CNY Solidarity use weekly pop-up protests to share and act on their concerns about the current federal Daniel Carson | Contributing Photographer
Looking forward, Indivisible Onondaga County’s next large event will be joining the statewide Beautiful Bridge Brigade, encouraging people to vote in the upcoming midterm elections. The first bridge demonstration was on August 29, when demonstrators displayed banners and flags from bridges across New York state. The next demonstration will be Sept. 12.
For demonstrators, these weekly pop-ups will continue to raise awareness and urge people to vote blue in November. Herb said the demonstrations also serve as a reminder for people passing by to check on their voter registration status and hopes the pop-ups can “promote the vote.”
“Our country is being destroyed and it gets worse every single day and we must fight now before our right to protest is taken away,” Herb said. “I have to be here to fight for our country.”
