More than 80 people held signs Monday morning in Waterville to protest the Trump administration on a holiday honoring the legacy of United States presidents.
From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., participants stood on sidewalks and cheered at cars at the intersection of Main Street and Elm Street. Elizabeth Leonard, a retired Waterville history professor who organized the ‘Not This President Day’ event, said she wanted to give people an outlet for their anger toward the president.
“He’s violating every principle that we believe he should be upholding, and that the Constitution requires,” Leonard said.
Protesters in Waterville criticized the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Maine and Minnesota, climate regulation rollbacks and Trump’s criticism of Olympic athletes who have spoken out against the federal government. Several protesters wore red-knitted caps associated with resistance to the Nazi regime during World War II.
Phyllis Capanna and Robin Deveney, a couple from Oakland, said there are not enough guardrails in place to check the president’s power.
“This concentration of power in one office is obviously not going well for the country,” said Capanna, 69. “It really matters who is in this office, and it’s not going well. The rule of law is being ignored by both the president and Congress.”
Presidents Day is a federal holiday held on George Washington’s birthday that honors those who have served as president. Federal offices, courts, public schools and banks are typically closed, and many people have the day off work.
Elise Rich-Colton always has Mondays off; she owns Grand Central Cafe in Waterville, where she has held fundraisers for immigrant defense funds. She said local protests have increased in number following the shooting deaths by immigration agents of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Swaying back and forth to Beatles songs by the intersection, Rich-Colton, 40, didn’t blink when a passing driver yelled that protesters should “get a job.”
“It’s not like we’re changing everybody’s mind who drives by,” she said, “but it’s good for us to be together and not feel crazy for an hour every week.”
Many weekly protests are organized through Indivisible Mid Maine, a local chapter of the national left-leaning political group Indivisible. A chapter in Auburn also held a Presidents Day protest.
Those who couldn’t make it to Waterville’s protest were encouraged to submit photos of themselves with signs. Leonard said one virtual participant, photographed wearing a red clown nose, was an expatriate protesting from her home in Germany.
Ann Longley, 73, of Waterville, said it has been devasting to watch America’s relationship with Canada and other countries deteriorate since Trump’s inauguration.
“I think all of Europe and Ukraine and many other countries, they don’t trust us anymore,” Longley said. “So what are we going to do if we ever need anyone’s help? They’re not going to be there for us, because we’re not there for them right now.”
Longley said she is protesting five days in a row this week, from Waterville to Scarborough.
Several protesters said that when they aren’t holding signs, they regularly contact Maine’s representatives. Capanna said she believes local pressure on Sen. Susan Collins, who is up for reelection in November, contributed to her calls for ICE to end large-scale operations in Maine.
“When our elected people fail us, it’s our job to speak up and make noise,” Capanna said. “The direction it’s supposed to go is from down here with the people, up to them.”
