Small-town Protests, May 1

To the editor:
Protests against the on-going efforts by President Trump to ignore the Constitution and undermine Democracy will be held throughout the country on May 1. Many are planned in Vermont, from small towns to the State House in Montpelier.
The Montpelier protest may get the most news coverage but I wonder if that State House gathering is of greater importance than the protests that will occur in places such as Wolcott, Barton, St. Johnsbury and other small towns.
I’ve driven through Wolcott many times in late afternoon. I am always surprised at the amount of commuter traffic there is heading toward Hardwick. A protest in Wolcott would be seen by many people, probably surprising more people than a yet-again television clip would from the State House. A local assembly might cause more people to think or be made aware that what is happening is a local matter, not just something going on in Washington, D.C., or Montpelier.
Coming back from a State House protest on April 19, I was surprised, and pleased, to see 15 to 20 people, with signs, standing in Woodbury along Route 14 where it intersects with the Cabot Road. I doubt that was a common occurrence in past years when there was a need for people to speak up and speak out.
I hope area residents will exercise their Constitutional right to join me and their friends and neighbors to assemble peaceably Thursday in an effort to petition our government.
The Wolcott protest will begin at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, May 1, by the Town Hall.
Ross Connelly
Hardwick

Ross Connelly