The Ocean County More than 400 people attended the most recent protest event against the Trump administration, which was staged on both sides of Hooper Avenue in Toms River.
Participants in the Good Trouble Lives On protest, which was billed as a nationwide day of nonviolent action to address the assaults on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration and to remind people that the people in America hold the power, showed up with signs, unique clothing, and loud voices.
Compared to the rally held in front of the Ocean County Mall last month, fewer people attended this one.
Good Trouble Lives On is a catchphrase and rallying cry for a movement that was founded by the late civil rights activist and 17-term member of Congress John Lewis. Co-hosted by the Democratic Coalition of Ocean County (DCOC) and the Ocean County Young Dems Caucus, the demonstration was held late Thursday afternoon in front of the Veterans Association Clinic at 1055 Hooper Avenue.
There were two demonstrations in Ocean County that night, the other being in Lakewood Township, and there were 31 rallies throughout the state. On the fifth anniversary of Lewis’s passing, 1,600 communities throughout the country hosted rallies.
At the most recent march, members of the National Organization for Women (NOW) were in full form. It’s hot outside, but the fact that people came out today to stand here for more than an hour shows how angry they are, and we’re not leaving, said Lynda Fote, president of Ocean County NOW. We don’t give up.
Members of the group recently attended the Barnegat Pride event, Lacey Township’s Doggie Derby Day, and the Toms River Harvest Festival. They will also attend the rescheduled Toms River Pride Day on August 16.
We go out and discuss what is truly important with voters. Fote stated that NOW is in favor of economic and racial justice, constitutional equality, LGBTQ + rights, stopping violence against women, and reproductive rights and justice.
An active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is Nancy Ellison, a retired nurse practitioner from Brick. Many of us here are interested in various ways, and she stated that her interest in them is to support causes that she feels are right for all people.
We participate in a back-to-school day event in Manitou Park in Toms River and the National Night Out event in Toms River, which is scheduled for next month. Ellison continued, “We give out beautiful backpacks that are packed with everything a student could need, and that is a great event for the kids.”
The event’s main organizer, Tara Kownacki of Lacey Township, took to the bullhorn and chanted, “Donald Trump has got to go!” She was happy with the attendance as well. We had initially thought that this would be framed around immigration laws and ICE, but after the big, beautiful bill was enacted, it became about that, and now it’s about a lot of other things.
At the end of the event, she continued, “We had 350 people who registered and when we first arrived, someone counted 250. Right now, our rough head count is 450.”
The DCOC is where Kownacki is. Many members of Ocean County’s numerous Democratic groups are there, along with others.
Running for a seat in the 9th District Assembly in autumn, Democrat Rosalee Keech attended the event with her spouse on a steamy afternoon. She expressed worry about the prudent use of taxpayer funds. We are aware that federal funding will be cut off, and I believe the state will need to find a means to continue providing services.
The dispute over the Jeffrey Epstein files, which has generated controversy even among the president’s most ardent supporters on Capitol Hill, was one of the new grievances raised during this demonstration.
The president’s decision to withhold official documents pertaining to the sex offender and deceased businessman has divided Republican lawmakers. People who attended the event expressed their opinion that the records ought to be made available to the public.
Regarding the newest political talking point, Judy Celeste, vice president of Ocean County NOW, stated, “We have these rallies because it is difficult to keep up with this circus.” It is imperative that we put our nation back on course. One of the inscriptions on the two-sided sign she brought mentioned Lewis’s past involvement in the civil rights movement.
Another protester remarked, “That’s his playbook; he deflects or blames Obama, Biden, or Clinton.”
Unlike at prior rallies, there did not seem to be a counter-rally organized by Trump supporters at the same time. By the time of publication, this newspaper had not heard back from Executive Director Jennifier Bacchione or Ocean County GOP Chair George Gilmore.
Trump’s pleas to stop wasting time and effort on Jeffrey Epstein, who no one cares about, are being echoed by some Republicans.
Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal charges related to the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York, and he passed away on August 10 in his jail cell. Despite the FBI’s assertion that the video was raw, the Department of Justice’s release of the footage showed that at least one minute was absent and that it had been altered. A medical examiner determined that his death was suicide by hanging.
