Great Barrington — About 120 demonstrators showed up in front of the Town Hall this evening for a hastily organized rally to protest the potential curtailment of Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential elections. Carrying signs and standing near the curb on Main Street, they were buoyed by the number of cars that honked in support as they drove by.
The demonstration was initiated by Robert Forman of Housatonic. “MoveOn.org was promoting local demonstrations. I got in touch with them and suggested doing one in Great Barrington. They answered, ‘Good idea. You’re it,” he said. Forman then got in touch with Michael Wise who heads the Great Barrington Democratic Committee, local activist Bobby Houston and Berkshire Action Leadership Group, and together they pulled it off.
Some participants came from a distance away. Paula Sharon, who carried a sign that said, “This is about solidarity on behalf of democracy,” came from Tolland, Mass. “I wanted to take part, and this was the closest rally I could get to,” she said.
A short program included three statements by organizers. Robert Forman exhorted Congress to “save our country from demagoguery.” Bobby Houston celebrated the success of Berkshire efforts to “fire John Faso” in NY District 19, where candidate Anthony Delgado unseated that incumbent on Tuesday, and urged people to continue to stay active. Michael Wise reminded the crowd that this was one of at least 1,000 events taking place across the country, thanks to MoveOn. According to the MoveOn.org rapid response website, some 46 rallies were taking place in Massachusetts alone.
Participant Jennifer Clark of Great Barrington reflected the general feeling of the crowd when she said, ”I think this is fantastic. It builds community.”
