Torrential rain and winds didn’t stop nearly 150 protesters from attending the third 50501 mobilization of the year in Hilo on Tuesday, where the March 4 date was meant to symbolize a “march forth” against various actions taken by the Trump administration.
“I had to do something, and the least you can do is show up,” said Melissa Adams of attending her first 50501 rally alongside her more seasoned protest friend, Melissa Smith. Adams said the fact that protesters were not deterred by the inclement weather proved that the movement 50501 represents “is alive, and it’s needed.”
Cars and trucks in both the eastbound and westbound lanes of Kanoelehua Avenue honked repeatedly in support of the protesters.
“I’m so thrilled that people honk, it’s very encouraging,” said Suzanne Hutchins, who held a sign supporting Ukraine on one side and farmers in America — many of whom are immigrants being targeted in the new administration’s deportation goals — on the other.
The support for Ukraine was particularly strong at Tuesday’s rally, with signs and blue-and-yellow flags of all sizes representing the war-beleaguered country.
The rally occurred less than a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was berated by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in a display many have categorized as an unprovoked attack on the leader of an allied nation with long-standing positive relations with the U.S. The administration subsequently withdrew all aide to the country following the combative incident in the Oval Office.
“The (financial) gains they get from the military pullout in Europe and NATO should go for free health care for all!” Puna resident Ariel Murphy opined with tongue-in-cheek precociousness.
Another display of Ukrainian support was a white board with “I see you, Ukraine” and a yellow flower drawn onto it that was held by Marie Bricker along with a bouquet of yellow flowers, which symbolize peace for the country that has for three years been fighting off an invasion by Russia.
Bricker said she also was driven to protest by the administration’s undoing of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) protections that allow people with physical disabilities, like her brother, to have the same opportunities as all other Americans.
“It’s just so important that they’re included and thought of when we do anything in this world, not just for jobs,” Bricker said, explaining that the people deciding what accommodations those with disabilities receive often don’t truly understand the needs of the people they’re serving. “You don’t know disabled until you’re living disabled.”
“This Veteran Stands With Ukraine,” read the sign held by Jacqueline Vettraino, who served in the Air Force for 28 years before her retirement. Like Bricker, she was standing along the roadside for Ukraine, but her voice was choked by the tears she held back as she spoke of other decisions made by the Trump administration that she said are harmful to the country and its citizens: reducing federal benefits and targeting transgender people, particularly those serving in the military.
“I just don’t understand what’s going on right now,” she said with a defeated, heavy-hearted tone. “I have a pension now, and I’m on Social Security, and I hear in April that might be a problem. Money we have put into, we might not get. And the humiliation of military members being kicked out just because they’re trans, like they can’t do a good job, that’s ridiculous. So, I stand with them.”
In addition to Ukraine, a repeat topic on many of the protesters’ signs involved Trump’s behavior that many have likened to the un-American role of a king, mainly his appointment of South African billionaire Elon Musk to run the new Department of Government Efficiency, which has targetted thousands of federal workers for layoffs, among other things.
Signs calling for Musk to be both fired and deported were plentiful, but local retiree Susan Henry took it a step further with her sign, which read, “STOP DR. EVIL ELON,” and included “We are under his eye,” an allusion to the show “A Handmaid’s Tale” that sees female disenfranchisement occurring as result of a fascist government subduing females.
Henry said the The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act currently being backed by Republicans, which could result in married women who changed their last names being blocked from voting, signals a first step toward the show becoming a grim reality.
“I remember when we cared about democracy, and I remember when we were interested in what other people had to say, and we were interested in equitably distributing our resources and not being stifled, when we didn’t make fun of people with disabilities. I remember all of that,” Henry said, pinpointing multiple actions by Trump that the protesters are fighting against. “I won’t have any of this. I won’t have it.”
“I’m hoping that there is some way that we can do something, and that more people will speak up,” said Francis Dauw, who held a large sign that read, “WAKE UP, SPEAK UP, STOP THE FASCIST TAKEOVER.” “Fortunately, our own congresspeople (representing Hawaii) are in support of what we’re doing, but there are a lot of people who are not, and I’m hoping the Republican Party can get a life.”
Olani Lilly, who founded ChangeMakers Hawaii and has served as the principal of the Hawaiian immersion charter school Ka ‘Umeke Ka‘eo, was also at the rally and was pleased by the large turnout.
“I’m really excited that everyone came out in support of democracy and pushing back against the lies that, right now, Donald Trump is telling in Congress,” she said. “We’re just trying to be out here being truth-tellers.”
Several protesters were eager to speak their truth yet were hesitant to share their names for this story out of fear they would be noted by the current government for future retribution. One man, who asked to be identified only as J.P, made a point to call for unity in these unprecedented American times.
“The focus on blending Democrats and Republicans is just so important,” he said. “We have to work together, or we’ll be pulled apart.”
Email Kyveli Diener at kdiener@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
