While Hamilton might have every appearance of being a small college town separated from the real world, protestors from across Madison County organized to form the “Hands Off! Hamilton Fights Back” rally against the Trump administration on Saturday, April 5.
Despite the rainy weather, the Village Green was filled with students and local community members holding handmade signs protesting the Trump administration and cheering along with speeches given under the main pavilion. The first section of the rally featured speeches from some speakers chosen ahead of time. Together, the speakers called for the protection of democracy and raised awareness on a host of topics, ranging from immigrants’ rights to a likening of the Trump administration to King George III’s tyrannical rule over the American colonies.
The Hamilton rally, which was one of over 1,300 “Hands Off!” rallies held throughout the country, had grassroots origins. In Madison County, residents Susanne Farrington and Sarah Gregory originally came together to organize the rally.
After singing verses from “America the Beautiful,” the microphone was opened to speakers from the community. Sophomore Tess Mendelsohn joined members of the community in sharing their anxieties with the current administration and calling for a continued effort for change.
“I thought the protest was really great, as it is so important to speak out in chaotic times like these, and everyone that spoke had such amazing and inspirational things to say,” Mendelsohn said. “I wanted to speak at the event because opportunities to have your voice heard like this are rare, and I wanted to encourage other Colgate students or even just the youth in Hamilton to speak out for things they are passionate about.”
Gathered across the street, a smaller group of pro-Trump counter-protesters held signs of their own, attempting to disrupt the rally by shouting from megaphones and driving a Tesla Cybertruck in a loop around the green. The interaction between the groups was limited to back-and-forth impassioned remarks.
Both protesters and counter-protesters repeatedly used the same symbols and messaging, like the American flag and the need to restore democracy, exemplifying a national trend of Americans centering around core values like patriotism but interpreting those values very differently. In one moment, the counter-protesters attempted to disrupt the singing of “America the Beautiful” by also singing “America the Beautiful” louder on their own megaphones.
“We don’t see a lot of events like these happening in Hamilton compared to a bigger town, and I think they’re really important to have because they encourage civic engagement among students and the people in the Village,” Mendelsohn said. “It’s great to see people here taking action and demanding change, and it will be interesting to see how the campus and town will respond to growing tensions around the country in the coming months.”
At the rally, organizers Farrington and Gregory shared more about how this rally came to be.
“April 5 was developing into a big rally day to protest the erosion of democracy brought about by the Trump administration,” Farrington said. “I inquired of my friend John [Bailey] whether there was any rally planned for Hamilton. He answered, ‘Not that I’ve heard of. Why don’t you organize one, Susanne?’ […] I’ve never organized a rally before. I’ve only attended some.”
A chance meeting brought Farrington and Gregory together, and they started to put together a plan for the rally.
“Driving home, I passed a house with an upside-down American flag on my street,” Farrington said. “This flag display is a signal of America in distress. I’d seen it there once before, and I had decided that if I ever saw someone standing outside that house, I would stop and talk to them about their flag. This time, I saw a person [Gregory] standing outside. She was agreeable to my visit, and as we talked, she asked if I was an activist. I replied, ‘I try to be.’”
Farrington then asked Gregory to organize a rally with her in Hamilton, to which she agreed. Gregory also noted how the local community was instrumental in helping to organize the event.
“This is the first time both of us have organized, and individuals in the community rose up and supported the process,” Gregory said. “It’s been very encouraging. It’s something that we’re all passionate about, and it’s really great to see a huge percentage of the community in such a small village in town step up and demonstrate for something they’re passionate about.”
