AUGUSTA — About four dozen people assembled on the plaza behind the Maine State House Saturday, each with their own concerns but drawn together with a common cause: to shift the status quo in the United States and remind elected officials whom they work for.
They came out on a sunny Saturday as part of the national We the People March , which drew people to events in Washington, D.C., and to solidarity marches or rallies in cities across the United States.
Waterville resident Laura Blake, who organized the Augusta rally, said doing something like this is very much out of character for her, but she felt the need to do it.
Like others with a background in social work, Blake said she’s confounded by the immigration policy as it’s being administered, with children being separated from their families at the southern U.S. border, with no accountability.
“Nobody has numbers or names. We have 3-year-olds in court. It’s a farce,” she said.
Blake, along with Maryellen Dunn, were the rally’s two speakers.
Dunn read from a prepared statement in which she outlined the cause of the migration bringing asylum seekers to the United States by the hundreds: a changing climate that’s making agriculture in their native countries unsustainable.
For her part, Blake hopes people are moved to take action, inspired by the protests going on around the world.
“I would consider the U.S. in the worst predicament of any of the countries protesting right now for their democracy. That in itself astounds me,” she said. “We, the people, who have the constitution and the rule of law, aren’t doing anything.”
David Livingstone came Saturday to call out capitalists and their actions, which he said have been damaging. He took a few minutes away from making a protest sign to talk about his opinions.
“When a crisis happens because of something caused by capitalists, (Americans) know they will still get the crumbs at the end, so they are silent,” Livingstone said. “They’re all deaf, dumb and blind.”
Other people carried signs demanding balance and announcing that no one is above the law.
What Blake hopes what people will take from the event is the importance of getting people to register to vote and to vote.
“At the very least, I hope this is an inspiration for someone else to grab the baton next time,” and motivate people to take action, she said. “If it doesn’t happen, I’ll be here.”
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