By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
WYANDOTTE – Hundreds of protesters lined Biddle Avenue Oct. 17 for a No Kings / Get out the Vote rally, with clever signs that mirrored the frustration of many of the participants.
Among the slogans emblazoned on signs were “Orange lies matter,” “How can you Nazi what’s going on,” “Voting prevents unwanted presidencies,” “F*ck Tr*mp – Would you like to buy a vowel” and “If speaking out now feels dangerous… imagine how much worse it will get if we stay silent.”
Rally organizer Jessica Schering said the event was meant to be more non-partisan to encourage people to vote in the upcoming election.
“Voting is our superpower and we are trying to demonstrate that here,” she said.
Schering said they encourage people to speak their mind, and while some signs urged people to vote, others carried more pointed messages about the state of our democracy.
“I think that the voice is the power, and we want to be sure that it is a free and fair election,” she said. “We are here to support early voting, but we are keeping an eye out for results to make sure they are free and fair.”
Rally organizer Ashley Perry said it is important for constituents to be at the polls working the elections and even offering people rides to their polling locations.
“Every time people come out and they give us their free time, that they could be at home with their families and everything else, it makes me so happy, just because it shows me that there are people that are willing to stand up, there are people that are willing to still fight for what we believe in, and we are not alone,” she said. “Look at all these people here that all believe that we have a democracy and we want to keep our democracy.”
Perry said last year when she lost her job, her health insurance went from costing her $200 a month to $1,800 a month, which she couldn’t afford, even though, as a diabetic, she needs insulin.
“That’s happening to everybody,” she said. “That’s happening to neighbors of mine, and that’s happening to people I meet every single day, and that’s not OK.
“I have worked my entire life, and something that was no fault of my own left me with no insulin, no anything.”
Perry has since found a new job with health insurance, but she wants to fight for others who have lost their health insurance and who can’t afford to pay for it themselves.