• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • 5 DOUBLE-U’S
    • MASTHEAD
    • DISTRIBUTION
    • ADVERTISE
    • SUBMISSIONS
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • Close
  • BECOME A MEMBER

Dig Bos

The Dig - Boston's Only Newspaper

CURRENT STREET EDITION

DIG 23.02 – 1/28/21

PROTEST BEAT: FOLLOW THE RUBLES

Written by MIRIAM WASSER Posted February 27, 2017 Filed Under: News, NEWS+OPINIONS

Emergency Rally for Democracy 2/26/17

All photos by Miriam Wasser. Click image above for slide show.

 

Hundreds demand investigation into Trump-Russia ties

 

Against the backdrop of the State House dome and a giant American flag, at least 200 people gathered by the 54th Regiment Memorial in Boston Common Sunday afternoon to demand an independent and thorough investigation into any collusion between President Donald Trump and Russia.

 

The event was billed “An Emergency Rally to Stand for Democracy,” and many in attendance wore their pink knitted pussy hats from last month’s Women’s March and carried signs or banners.

 

“Follow the Rubles.”

 

They also chanted: DEMOCRACY IS UNDER ATTACK … WHAT DO WE DO? STAND UP, FIGHT BACK!  

 

“If there is even the smallest possibility that Trump conspired with Russians, then an investigation must occur because there has never been a greater threat to democratic principles,” Olivia Hartranft, one of the event organizers, told the crowd.

 

Hartranft, like every speaker of the day, also invoked the now-famous words of former US Senator Howard Henry Baker Jr., one of the leaders on the Senate committee investigating President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal. “What did the president know and when did he know it?”

 

“We don’t know exactly how, but we know [Trump] is compromised by foreign nations,” said Bob Massie of the Sustainable Solutions Lab at UMASS Boston. In a short speech that sought to place the day’s gathering in a historical context of resistance and activism, Massie, who is considering a 2018 run for governor, also talked about the Revolutionary War and the Founding Fathers, noting, “They built a Constitution and Bill of Rights that was built on a set of principles that are now in danger. Can our nation continue to endure?”

 

“Today we face an emergency for our Democracy,” said Jesse Littlewood of Common Cause. “The stakes are too high to not have a fair and unbiased investigation. We must resist nationally and organize locally.”

 

“We have to demand the impossible,” added speaker Anthony Paul Farley, a professor at Albany Law School. “We’ve got fascism with nuclear weapons.”

 

 

Later in the day, Jacquelyn Ryan, the first openly transgender elected official in Mass (she serves on the Tantasqua School Committee), riled the crowd with her denouncements of Trump: “We’ve got a puppet for a president.” As for his cabinet: “He nominated an outright racist and an education secretary who is woefully unqualified,” Ryan said, referring to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, respectively.

 

As an elected representative, Ryan promised those in attendance that she hears their concerns and will fight for truth and justice.

 

“Where’s Charlie Baker?” someone in the crowd yelled, prompting others to join in a chorus, WHERE’S CHARLIE BAKER?

 

“We know where he is,” Ryan said. “He’s in Washington, DC working with his Republican cronies [at the National Governors Association meeting with Trump].”

 

Another highlight came from 16-year-old Medha Palnati of Westford, who took to the microphone to address the election from her point of view.

 

“Democracy in my lifetime was never challenged, and for the better part of my childhood, I believed this would always be so,” Palnati said.

 

But then Trump won.

 

“Since then, I have found myself fearful for the very principles upon which this nation was founded.”

In a phone interview before the rally, Palnati told DigBoston, “This is honestly the first election that I’ve been aware of; I was 12 when Obama was re-elected. I remember that, but I don’t remember understanding Obama’s policies or what Mitt Romney’s policies were. I don’t think I was aware of the political aspect of it—I don’t think I was even completely aware of what Congress was and what the Senate did.”

 

In addition to yelling into the void for an investigation, as speeches wrapped up, local organizers passed out postcards addressed to the governor, and distributed the phone numbers of elected officials for people to call.

 

“Stay angry and keep fighting,” one woman told the crowd, “because it’s working.”

MIRIAM WASSER
More from author
  • MIRIAM WASSER
    https://digboston.com/author/miriam-wasser/
    NUCLEAR DISASTER: WITH CONTROVERSIAL REACTOR DOWN SINCE STORMS, TENSIONS RUN EXTREMELY HIGH IN PLYMOUTH
  • MIRIAM WASSER
    https://digboston.com/author/miriam-wasser/
    THE PEOPLE PERSIST
  • MIRIAM WASSER
    https://digboston.com/author/miriam-wasser/
    POWER STRUGGLE: REGULATORS INFURIATE ACTIVISTS WITH ANNOUNCEMENT THAT POWER PLANT WILL STAY OPEN

Filed Under: News, NEWS+OPINIONS Tagged With: An Emergency Rally to Stand for Democracy, Betsy DeVos, Bob Massie, Boston Common, Charlie Baker, Common Cause, Donald Trump, Jacquelyn Ryan, Jeff Sessions, Russia

WHAT’S NEW

CAMPBELL ORDERS INFORMATION ON OFFICER’S INVOLVEMENT IN CAPITOL ATTACK

CAMPBELL ORDERS INFORMATION ON OFFICER’S INVOLVEMENT IN CAPITOL ATTACK

Miami protestors support the “Fight for 15,” a campaign for a higher minimum wage. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

AS LABOR SECRETARY, WILL MARTY WALSH REPRESENT ALL WORKERS?

STATE WIRE: FAILURE TO INVESTIGATE CREDIT COMPLAINTS A TOP ISSUE FOR MA CONSUMERS

STATE WIRE: FAILURE TO INVESTIGATE CREDIT COMPLAINTS A TOP ISSUE FOR MA CONSUMERS

ONE YEAR INTO COVID, COMMUNITY FRIDGES STILL NEEDED & RUNNING

ONE YEAR INTO COVID, COMMUNITY FRIDGES STILL NEEDED & RUNNING

SOMERVILLE MAYOR CURTATONE DROPS BOMBSHELL AHEAD OF MIDTERM ADDRESS

SOMERVILLE MAYOR CURTATONE DROPS BOMBSHELL AHEAD OF MIDTERM ADDRESS

CAMPBELL UNVEILS PLAN FOR POLICE TRANSPARENCY

CAMPBELL UNVEILS PLAN FOR POLICE TRANSPARENCY

Primary Sidebar

HEMPIRE FREEDOM PACK 25% OFF

FEATURED EVENT

Most Popular

  • SPECIAL FEATURE ON THE MASS STATE POLICE: TROOPER WILSON’S WAR by CHRIS FARAONE
  • [UPDATE: WE GOT IT!] WHERE IS THE CONTRACT FOR MASSACHUSETTS’ VACCINE APPOINTMENT SOFTWARE? by POLINA WHITEHOUSE
  • BOSTON LATIN ACADEMY GRADS FIGHT FOR REPRESENTATION IN ALUMNI GROUP by CHRIS FARAONE
  • DOES THE FORMER BPD COMMISSIONER EVEN LIVE IN BOSTON? by ZACK HUFFMAN
  • MASS KEEPS TRYING TO BUILD A NEW WOMEN’S PRISON OUTSIDE OF PUBLIC VIEW by DAN ATKINSON

READ CURRENT MEMBER EDITION

DIG Member 1.9 – 11/26/20

READ CURRENT STREET ISSUE

DIG 23.02 – 1/28/21

Footer

digbos

digbos
AS LABOR SECRETARY, WILL MARTY WALSH REPRESENT ALL AS LABOR SECRETARY, WILL MARTY WALSH REPRESENT ALL WORKERS? Or just unionized construction workers… and the corporations that fund the Democrats. The latest from DigBoston's @jasonpramas. https://digboston.com/as-labor-secretary-will-marty-walsh-represent-all-workers/ #politics #labor #union #work #national #analysis #Boston #Massachusetts
Includes Gang Green, The Freeze, SIEGE, TREE, and Includes Gang Green, The Freeze, SIEGE, TREE, and many more. https://digboston.com/iconic-lineup-comes-through-to-support-nantasket-venue-through-pandemic/ #music #digital #benefit #Hull #Massachusetts
Our interview with Avi Loeb, author of “Extrater Our interview with Avi Loeb, author of “Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth.” https://buff.ly/2O3nlUd #interview #book #alien #technology #astronomy #controversy #debate #science #Boston #Massachusetts
LGBTQ+ prisoners in Mass stand up to a violent sys LGBTQ+ prisoners in Mass stand up to a violent system that targets and dehumanizes vulnerable populations. https://digboston.com/special-feature-the-cruel-and-usual-violence-against-lgbtq-people-in-mass-prisons/ #prison #prisoner #humanrights #LGBT #politics #Massachusetts
Nominations now open! Vote for your favorite busin Nominations now open! Vote for your favorite businesses today. 

Are you a business? Are you the best at what you do? Encourage your fans to cast their votes! DM us to get our social media materials to promote your business and ensure your win. #bostontops #digboston
Bill sponsors, #Framingham mayor, and MA district Bill sponsors, #Framingham mayor, and MA district attorney will explain the Work & Family Mobility Act at a press conference. https://digboston.com/driving-families-forward-coalition-aims-to-help-undocumented-attain-drivers-licenses/ #politics #undocumented #immigration #driving #license #Massachusetts
Today at 4pm, cast your votes! #digboston Today at 4pm, cast your votes! #digboston
At a virtual summit, leaders sought to educate and At a virtual summit, leaders sought to educate and engage on the need for change. https://digboston.com/officials-advocates-speak-to-immigration-reform-and-economic-recovery/ #immigration #reform #economy #politics #Massachusetts
When it comes to special packaging and limited edi When it comes to special packaging and limited editions, Jack’s Abby and subsidiary Springdale out in Framingham are top players. https://digboston.com/video-unboxing-springdale-beers-limited-edition-neipa-music-box-set/ #beer #fun
Industrial Arts Brewing in NY’s Hudson Valley is Industrial Arts Brewing in NY’s Hudson Valley is well worth the look out of state ... https://digboston.com/video-pocket-wrench-by-industrial-arts-brewing-is-a-super-satisfying-session/ #beer #fun
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Submissions

Advertise

Privacy Policy

Customer Service

Distribution

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an e-mail blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: [email protected] To reach Editorial: [email protected] For internship opportunities: [email protected]