No Kings Rally Unites Neighbors With Diverging Views — For The Most Part

LARCHMONT, NY — Rainy weather in the nation's capital put a military parade honoring the occasion of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary in doubt, but in this normally quiet Westchester village, there was no doubt that the crowds would arrive with umbrellas, galoshes, raincoats, and hand-drawn protest signs.

The Sound Shore is known as the birthplace of the Proud Boys and the home of Project Veritas, but it is also the final resting place of Thomas Paine, and where he set about helping to put a newly formed nation squarely on a path away from autocracy and in the direction of self-determination.

"Those who want to reap the benefits of this great nation must bear the fatigue of supporting it," Paine famously wrote.

The hundreds gathered on Chatsworth Avenue, on Saturday morning, were doing their level best to live up to that responsibility. They were there to protest for a myriad of different reasons, some for their neighbors who were in fear of being deported or imprisoned while they navigate the immigration and asylum process; some to protest the growing vilification of LGBTQIA+ members; and others simply to raise a voice for compassion.

The first demonstrator I spoke to wordlessly held her umbrella over my head as we talked, but that simple act of kindness wasn't what brought her to the gathering.

"I am very much concerned about the global warming, and the environment — that's really my thing," Katherine Pannell explained. "Whatever else is going on. We are killing our planet. It's an existential crisis. These [federal funding] cuts are setting science back by decades."

Pannell, who is a software engineer in the aviation industry, said she has seen colleagues lose their careers and important research lost to the world since Trump came to power.

As the Chair of the Larchmont Environmental Committee, Pannell said she fears there might not be time to wait for science to become a priority again. She said that part of her reason for joining today's protest is simply to connect with others who share her concerns for the world we live in.

As chants of "Hey, Hey, Ho, Trump has got to go" fill the street, tanks and armored vehicles began rolling along the parade route hundreds of miles away in Washington, D.C. to pomp and circumstance, but it's hard to think there was a more patriotic display than what was on display near the Larchmont train station.

And that patriotism wasn't limited to those who were there in opposition to the current administration's actions.

Early in the rally, a pickup, with a "black trucks matter" bumper sticker and a "New York for Trump" flag waving from the bed, drove slowly past the demonstrators.

One of the protesters invited him to be a part of the exercise of free speech, "Join us, join us."

The Trump supporter, who identified himself only as John, obliged, and after parking his truck nearby and grabbing the flag from the back, became a counter-protest of one. He admitted that he likely wouldn't have stopped if not for the invitation from the other side.

"I'm not here to cause trouble, I'm a peaceful guy," John said. "To me, this is all ridiculous. I just wanted to show that there are plenty of people who stand with Trump, and I stand with Trump."

And John didn't just stand with Trump, he eagerly and politely debated those who tried to convince him that he is on the wrong side of history.

"Look, they're not going to convince me to change their views and I'm not going to convince them," he said. "But that's what makes this country great."

While the verbal exchanges between the handful of Trump supporters sometimes got heated, the sidewalk remained peaceful and largely respectful.

The few police who were visible mostly just encouraged the demonstrators to remain on the sidewalk. Uniformed MTA police officers took an informal headcount to gauge how many protesters might be headed to the nearby train platform to eventually join the larger demonstrations 20 miles away in New York City.

Although those gathered were here to demonstrate against what many feel is a threat to our freedom, the atmosphere felt almost celebratory. The nearby farmers market added to the festival feel, and those holding signs over I-95 made a game of encouraging truck drivers to trigger their air horns in support. Whenever they succeeded, the crowd would erupt in cheers.

Most cars passing the protesters offered support in the form of merry honking, or a thumbs up.

Of course, even in a close-knit Westchester community known for caring for each other in good times and bad, not everyone there was interested in keeping the peace.

A black Jeep, with a "Punisher" decal and a Trump flag, rolled by the crowd. The window rolled down and a clear and hateful message was shouted repeatedly, "You should all go shoot yourselves!"

By contrast, the demonstrators were joyful, but raucous, returning waves, ringing cowbells and chanting slogans back and forth across the street.

The mood was contagious. A Trump supporter in a hi-vis orange shirt, who had earlier shouted down protesters, stopped to shake the hand of a demonstrator who agreed that a viable third-party would be preferable to anything the Democrats or Republicans have to offer.

When it's time to leave, it is not police issuing orders (or threats). Organizers simply walked though the crowd letting attendees know that the rally would soon be ending, as they handed out cards with the dates and times of upcoming protests.

Some would head down the the platform to take a Metro-North train into the city; others would head to nearby protests, and some would simply drift over to the stalls of the farmers market.

For Emily Safford, the morning's energy was addictive, though she hadn't initially planned on it. She was headed to nearby Harbor Island Park with some new friends, to join a protest later in the afternoon.

"I just know that I want to be on the right side of history," Safford said. "Years from now, when my grandkids ask me what I was doing when this was going on, I want to have a good answer."