#Maine: #HoultonME rally against #Trump administration was one of 16 in Maine
by Kathleen Phalen Tomaselli, March 3, 2025
HOULTON, Maine — "Fifty-two people stood together in the rain on Saturday afternoon in downtown Houlton, wearing black armbands and carrying signs calling for the restoration of the nation.
"The rally was one of more than a dozen around the state on Saturday against the new administration of President Donald #Trump. Co-organizer Marilyn Roper said it was meant to draw attention to what demonstrators see as the recent loss of so many of the nation’s rights and the dismantling of government agencies. They also urged support for #Ukraine in its war against #Russia.
"Also over the weekend, demonstrators gathered at the State House in Augusta to protest the Maine Principal’s Association’s rules allowing transgender student athletes to participate in sports divisions that align with their actual gender, which have sparked the ongoing threats by the Trump administration to cut Maine’s federal funding.
"As the group of Houlton-area residents stood in silence displaying messages of restoration, passing drivers honked in solidarity. They specifically called for the restoration of law and order, decency, democracy, and the U.S. Agency for International Development [#USAID], among other things.
"During one stretch of time, the only vocal opposition came from a man driving a black pick-up truck, who yelled his disapproval out the window as he drove by.
"Roper is part of a statewide peace and justice group that co-organized the March 1 rallies in 16 communities, with one each in every Maine county. Some of the other demonstrations were in #BangorME, #SkowheganME, #CalaisME, #Damariscotta and #PortlandME.
"Several participating in the Houlton rally expressed their disgust and shame regarding Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance’s berating of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday.
"Others bemoaned what they see as so many losses since the January inauguration.
"Houlton resident Bertrand Laurence said that even people who choose to not be involved are making a political statement.
"A core group of local organizers has been meeting regularly over the years to plan this and other activities related to issues of #SocialJustice and democracy.
"Following Saturday’s one-hour rally, organizers met at the #UnitarianUniversalist Church to plan future actions, including an upcoming postcard mailing campaign to the White House, said Roper.
"The postcards, slated for a March 15 mailing, will be addressed directly to Trump as a public expression of opposition to his behaviors and policies.
"'May the rallies in Maine and across the country bring about some halt in the destruction of our democracy and restoration of so much lost,' Roper said."
Source:
https://thecounty.me/2025/03/03/county-politics/houlton-rally-against-trump-administration-was-one-of-16-in-maine/
#MaineProtest #BadDOGE #USPol #MainePol #MaineProtests #Resist #ResistFascism #ResistDOGE #SixteenCounties
