By Sarah E. Murphy 

Falmouth joined towns and cities across America on Monday, February 17, for a peaceful protest in opposition of Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), overseen by billionaire Elon Musk. The message mirrored the name of the event: We Choose To Fight. 

The “No Kings Day” protest was a galvanized effort by the 50501 movement, signifying “50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement.”

The Cape Cod Times initially reported the Falmouth rally as attracting about sixty, later updating it to “more than 100.”

Both were incorrect.

Instead, I’d estimate closer to 300 braved the bitter cold and unrelenting wind to exercise their constitutional rights. 

Locally, the event was organized by Upper Cape Indivisible, the Coalition for Social Justice, and Falmouth Immigrant Rights Coalition, endorsed by Cape Cod Women For Change; Engage Falmouth; Falmouth Climate Action Network; Falmouth Democratic Town Committee; Falmouth Gun Safety Coalition; No Place for Hate Falmouth; and Upper Cape Women’s Coalition.

The Cape Cod Times also painted it as an event that “attracted counter-protesters,” a clickbait headline meant to generate online traffic and divisive dialogue, driving the conversation from their Facebook page. 

In reality, there were six Trump supporters huddled in front of the library lawn, who went largely unnoticed, but the reporter chose to cross the street to interview them rather than standing with the rest of us to document what actually transpired.

I don’t think she even stayed for the rally as there was no mention of the speakers or their rousing calls to action in the incomplete and unbalanced coverage.

I had a feeling the turnout would be large that day, so I showed up a half hour early to get parking. Just as I got there, I noticed the Cape Cod Times photographer also arriving. She and I worked together at Wicked Local when I began my reporting career in 2007.

I headed to my usual standout spot – near the crosswalk, right in front of the park, greeted by local activist Laura Innis.

The last time I was there was Saturday, October 19, fighting for reproductive freedom with a group of familiar faces one final time before the election. Despite being hopeful, I had a sinking feeling, particularly due to the angry response we received from some passers-by, including locals I recognized, who gave us the finger or wagged their finger, telling us we should be “ashamed” of ourselves. 

This is why women don’t feel safe to talk about abortion. 

But Presidents’ Day was different. The sidewalk was already crowded, with people spilling over onto the street. A woman bundled for the New England weather held a sign demanding what so many Americans have been asking of lawmakers and the US media for weeks:

When I heard the loudspeaker begin to screech at Peg Noonan Park signaling the beginning of the rally, I walked over to the small patch of grass, where I’ve never seen so many people gathered. It was so congested that I had to politely weave through the crowd to make my way to the front.

Bob Riche, a member of Indivisible Upper Cape (along with his wife, Diane), addressed the crowd, which only continued to grow. 

Parents with children perched on their shoulders, pushing toddlers in baby carriages, and adults standing on benches for a better view.

All ages and backgrounds. More diversity than I’ve ever witnessed, and I’ve been covering protests and rallies for eighteen years. This time, people weren’t congregating for one reason, but many, everyday issues impacting all Americans.

“This isn’t about politics; it’s about our rights and our freedoms, our very survival as a nation,” Bob said.

“They think they can crush us. Are we powerless?” he asked the question twice, to which the crowd responded with a resounding “No!”

“We will not sit back and let them sink us into an abyss of fascism and inequality.” 

He underscored the power of the nationwide movement. 

“Collectively, we are hundreds of thousands of voices that speak as one,” he said. 

“So let me ask you one more time. Will we lie down and let them take everything from us? No. We absolutely will not. We will rise up, we will stand tall. We will fight for what’s right. We will fight like hell.” 

Members of the crowd illustrated his point by holding up flyers detailing similar rallies across the country, which had been distributed to attendees by Sandy Faiman-Silva, a member of several organizations, including the Coalition for Social Justice, the Barnstable County Human Rights Advisory Commission, and the Falmouth Immigrant Rights Coalition. Familiar faces on the tiny stage representing places near and far, including fellow writers Debbie Scanlon and Lannan O’Brien, and other local activists and concerned citizens.

Rosemary Carey, chair of the Falmouth Democratic Town Committee, referenced the widespread cuts to programs she described as “safety nets” for Americans, such as Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and Head Start, redirected to provide tax breaks for billionaires. 

“Of course we say yes to programs that actually safeguard our health, lend a hand to the most vulnerable, create jobs, fight climate change, and keep our country safe and prosperous for all,” she said.

She also acknowledged the Democratic party’s commitment to learning from the results of the 2024 Presidential election to make changes in its approach moving forward.

“The Falmouth Democratic Town Committee and the state and national committed we’re part of is currently soul-searching to understand how we can do better and connect with disenfranchised or un-enrolled voters, who share these priorities. If that describes you, we welcome you into that conversation,” she said.

Elise Hugus is one of the founders of Engage Falmouth, a social justice initiative created as a response to the first Trump Administration. In early 2017, Engage Falmouth organized a community resource fair in the Great Hall at St. Barnabas as a way to foster connection and provide concrete measures. (A similar event is slated for Saturday, March 15 at St. Barnabas.)

Elise is also a science writer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

She referenced what she described as a  “flood of fascism coming our way,” while also offering the famous quote by American anthropologist Margaret Mead as a reminder of each person’s power.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has,” she read, as the unyielding wind whipped through the American flags on display. 

She spoke as a mother of a seven-year-old son and the examples being set for the next generation.

“He’s aware that a morally bankrupt despot can become the President of the United States. Not exactly a lesson we want our children to learn,” she said. 

“That the richest man in the world can buy the Presidency and sell favors to the highest bidder. That even our government, with all its checks and balances that you learn about in civics class, is powerless to stop the institutions that We, the People rely on, from being gutted. Those who work in jobs like mine, largely funded by the federal government, can no longer use words like ‘female’ and ‘diversity’ and ‘climate.’ And that just as we’re in the eleventh hour of preventing some of the worst impacts of the climate catastrophe from happening, we are trading his future for short-term profit for a few,” she said. 

Cape and Islands District Attorney Rob Galibois reaffirmed his commitment to protect not just bodily autonomy, but the rights of heath care providers all over this country, which are both under attack, a promise he made at a rally on the Falmouth Village Green following the Dobbs decision in June 2022.

“There has been this march towards essentially evicerating women’s reproductive health rights,” he said.

DA Galibois, who is running for re-election in November, cited the recent charges against New York doctor Maggie Carpenter, a leader in reproductive healthcare, who was recently indicted for prescribing abortion pills in Louisiana and fined for prescribing abortion pills in Texas. 

He warned that despite being a “Blue State,” Massachusetts isn’t immune to such attacks, underscoring the danger of complacency.

“This is coming to our shores,” he said. 

Barnstable County Sheriff Donna Buckley was also in attendance, along with Congressman Bill Keating. Senator Dylan Fernandes was home sick with the flu, so staff member Jack Richardson, director of constituent services, was there to represent him, encouraging the audience to have difficult conversations with people who aren’t in your demographic.

I too was fighting a February flu, so as much as I wanted to stay when it was over, to seek out friends in the large crowd and bask in the positive energy, I rushed back to the warmth of my car. On the way, I ran into my friend Tara Guiliano and her transgender son, Mason Valley, an inspiring young man, who staged his own peaceful standout for LGBTQ+ rights at the Hyannis rotary with a friend on February 8.

For Tara, the February 17 event in Falmouth was empowering.

“My faith in humanity was restored, feeling there are more of us than them,” she said. 

Mason agreed.  

“It restored some of my faith in our country and makes me hopeful that we can survive and get through this together.”