Protestors speak out on multiple issues

Yahoo

15-03-2025

princeton — Around 40 people gathered Friday outside the Mercer County Courthouse and protested the actions of President Donald Trump's administration on issues ranging from Social Security and veterans' benefits, Medicare, Medicaid and the war in Ukraine.
Protestors holding signs such as 'Stop the Madness We Are All Human' and 'Protect Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Vet Services, Federal Workers, Dept. of Education, Foreign Allies, National Parks' along with Ukrainian flags waved as motorists passed them. The participants stood off the new sidewalk around the courthouse as contractors worked to complete it.
'We're part of a group called Mercer Equality. We're new on Facebook,' said John Baldwin of Princeton, one of the protest's organizers and a Democrat. 'And we just started the group up and we're concerned about what's going on in today's environment, and we decide to set up and let our voices be heard and try to push back some on what's coming our way.'
Mary Griffith of Princeton spoke about her reasons for participating in the protest.
'I worked in public service all my life, retired judge, former attorney, worked representing women and children who are struggling under the current administration who's making unnecessary and deeply damaging cuts for our social safety net. They're only interested in corruption and making sure their rich friends get richer while the rest of us struggle,' Griffith said.
'I'm here to let the administration know that the corruption must stop,' she said. 'For instance, they cut funding for the Centers for Disease Control, they cut funding for the Weather Service, they cut funding for the Park Service, the kinds off jobs the government protects and instead they gave our tax dollars to Elon Musk's companies. That's corruption.'
Griffith said that while she wasn't born in Mercer County, she has lived there for the past 55 years.
'I served this county for 30 years and what I hope is that good people take a long, hard look at what's really happening in Washington,' she said. 'My neighbor and friends, who in the past have supported our president, need to look at what he's doing and how it's gonna hurt them.'
Polla Rumberg of Mercer County also said she was concerned about cutbacks in services.
'My protest is more to champion the cause of freedom and restore services that are being ravaged,' she said. 'I worked for 44 years in the fields of public service and education, in psychiatric hospitalization, and clinical work, very proactive in providing services to the elderly, and I am devastated all of that good work is going to waste.'
'The thing I think that bothers me the most is our schools don't belong to the whole child anymore' Rumberg said. 'We are not touching their souls, we're not teaching them about inclusions, we're not teaching them about working with our fellow men, we're not teaching them to serve and be a vital member of our community. We're so disappointed at what we're seeing.'
Another protestor was worried about possible cuts in social services.
'Why are we out here? Because they're cutting all this stuff out of the budget,' said George McInturff, a Democrat, of Pipestem. 'We've got to stand up for what's ours. Social Security is our money. They can't take it away and all they're trying to do is cut $2 trillion from the budget just so they can give big tax breaks to the rich people, at least that's what it sure looks like.'
Down the line of protestors, Reni Fulton, a Monroe County resident and a Democrat, was holding up a 'Support Ukraine' sign.
'I'm out here today to support democracy,' she said. 'We fail Ukraine, we fail democracy. They are the bulwark for Europe against Russia and they're standing up for all of us as far as I'm concerned. They are our bulwark against the aggression of Russia and Putin and the irony is that is so intense for all of us here. I think that's why am out here. I am 78 years old, my father fought in the Second World War and he would be spinning in his grave right now if he saw what was going on in this country.'
April Cassidy of Princeton, who was attending the protest with her husband, Bill said they are both Democrats, and they were there 'to stand up for democracy, to stand up for our country.'
'We feel it's under tremendous threat at this time,' she said. 'I'm very glad to see that the courts have restored thousands of federal employees that were wrongfully fired.'
Bill Cassidy was carrying a Ukrainian flag.
'I think it's important for us to stay with our allies,' he said. 'The Ukrainians didn't do anything wrong. They hadn't done anything wrong.'
Doris Irwin of Oakvale, who said she is a Democrat but 'independently minded,' said she saw the protest as an opportunity to speak about an issue that concerns her.
'And that is the rise of corporate welfare,' she said. 'I feel like in my lifetime in this country we've gone from supporting people to having corporate welfare for the very rich. At the same time, we have vulture capitalism for the rest of us. Okay? and I really object that my Social Security may be endangered because they plan a bunch of tax cuts for corporate millionaires. And the problem is this money is corrupting our entire system.'
Corporations which are not people are not not being held accountable for their actions, Irwin said.
'I think if they're going to be people, then we need to hold them accountable,' she said.
Irwin also said she did not want to see Social Security benefits cut.
'I want it to be there for my children and grandchildren. It's a great system,' she said. 'If we were to tax the wealthy at the same rate as we're being taxed and everybody paid into it – but the very wealthy they get cut off and they don't get taxed at the same rate – but if they did, Social Security would be secure for us for 75 years.'
Contact Greg Jordan at
[e-mail]