The event in West Hartford was one of roughly a dozen planned for Tuesday, Jan. 20 in Connecticut, and one of many held across the country sponsored by the Women’s March and 50501.

By Ronni Newton

Cold temperatures and a biting wind did not deter several hundred people from gathering in front of West Hartford Town Hall at 2 p.m. Tuesday for a “Free America Walkout” that included speakers, music, and poetry, and a march through West Hartford Center.

The event – intended to “disrupt business as usual” as people were urged to walk out of work, school, and commerce – was organized locally by West Hartford Stands Up and co-sponsored by Indivisible CT, and was one of roughly a dozen held throughout the state and hundreds held nationwide on Jan. 20, the anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

West Hartford Police officially estimated the crowd at 400.

“We are here today because what is happening in Minnesota and around the country is not normal, and it is not acceptable,” said West Hartford Town Council member Tiffani McGinnis, who recently indicated her plans to run as a Democrat for the 18th District State House seat.

“In Minnesota, we are seeing a dangerous power grab. Democratic governance is being pushed aside. Elected leaders are losing their voice. This is an attempted government takeover that ignores the will of the people and treats democracy as a problem, not the foundation of our government. And let’s be clear, there is nothing democratic about dragging people from their homes, kidnapping people off the street, or using violence to silence communities. That is not governance. It is oppression. This didn’t start in Minnesota and it won’t end there,” McGinnis said.

As she spoke, protesters waved signs and joined in chants of “Dump Trump,” and cars passing by on South Main Street honked their horns in support. There were a few counter-protestors in the group, including at least one with a bullhorn, but those messages were drowned out by the mass of people cheering.

“History shows us how this starts. It begins with one state, one excuse, and one so-called ’emergency,'” McGinnis said. “Power becomes concentrated, dissent is punished, and rights are taken away. Suddenly, what once seemed impossible becomes real.”

Authoritarian behavior should not be seen as normal, and while Jan.. 20 should by synonymous with patriotism and the peaceful transfer of power, she said, “undermining elections isn’t peaceful. Silencing opposition isn’t lawful. And using government power to crush democracy isn’t patriotic.”

McGinnis urged the crowd not to remain silent, and to stand with the people of Minnesota and other communities that have been threatened. “Today, we’re loud, we’re visible, and we’re united,” she said. “Democracy doesn’t defend itself. We do.”

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Americans know what’s at stake is not just Minneapolis. “I am proud to stand with you today to say, ‘No Kings. Hands off our Constitution.'”

And echoing a portion of his message shared at West Hartford’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day ceremony the previous day, Blumenthal said, “We are here today to make trouble, good trouble, trouble for [Secretary of Homeland Security] Kristi Noem. Kristi Noem must go,” he said.

There was inspirational music, and former West Hartford Poet Laureate Ginny Connors read Amanda Gorman’s poem “Renee Nicole Good,” a tribute to the 37-year-old mother who was shot and killed in her car by an ICE agent on Jan. 7.

Led by several clergy members and a band, the crowd marched through the Center, up South Main Street and onto Farmington Avenue, turning around at LaSalle Road to return to the steps of Town Hall to hear from Attorney General William Tong, who had been delayed in Hartford at a hearing involving  youth vaping and illicit cannabis products.

Tong said the previous day was the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr., “a great man, who changed this world, not like this current man … but who took us out from, in part, from the shadow of segregation, and Jim Crow, and hate and discrimination. Unfortunately we are tumbling backwards down that hill again.”

Tong said that King would look out today and see immigrants. “He would see people probably who are undocumented or have a complicated immigration story.” He would see Black faces, Tong said, and while their background is different from his, he would say “Those are my people. Those are our people and we have to go out and fight for them.”

Tong said his one simple message is that he is not afraid. “I am not afraid and none of us, none of us, will bend the knee to this man.”

The child of immigrants who settled in West Hartford, who started with nothing and eventually opened a Chinese restaurant, Tong said at times he is scared, but will continue to use the legal system to stop Trump in court.

“So many of us in this crowd have a target on our backs, if you’re an immigrant,the son or daughter of immigrants, if you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, if you just want to get healthcare for your kid, if you’re a woman, if you’re a teacher, a firefighter, police officer. So many of us have a target on our backs. They are coming for us, and they are going to keep coming for us,” Tong said.

His closing words: “If you come to Connecticut, you are gonna have to come through me and all of us, and we are not afraid of you.”

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