On a Thursday in March, Loretta Connolly was walking out of the Swampscott Public Library when she noticed a group of people protesting President Donald Trump at the Civil War Monument across from King’s Beach.
“I said, ‘Oh I’m gonna run home and get my sign,’” Connolly said.
Four months later, Connolly still attends the weekly protests on Humphrey Street.
The protest, which take place from 4 to 6 p.m. every Thursday, began in January just after Inauguration Day to allow people in Swampscott the opportunity to express their opposition to the Trump administration. The rally is organized and run by volunteers, many of whom are members of the Indivisible group, which was started as a guide on organizing locally to influence elected officials to resist the federal administration’s agenda, according to its website. The organization and its name quickly caught on as people formed their own local Indivisible groups, forming a nationwide movement of people taking collective action into their own hands.
Now, once a week, people in Swampscott show up with handmade signs, music, and a multitude of flags, including American flags, Ukrainian flags and Pride flags. Protesters chant “honk your horn if you support democracy” to passing cars. Many drivers respond enthusiastically.
“I think it’s a perfect location with all of this traffic and people stop with the (traffic) lights and the stop signs,” said Michael Paquette, a Swampscott resident who has been attending the rally each Thursday for four months. “We get a lot of visibility here.”
Paquette began bringing music with a speaker a few weeks ago which “amps” up the crowd, he said.
“We’re hoping this keeps growing and people come out,” said Paquette. “It’s a very positive response. I would say 90% are in favor.”
Organizers of the protest come prepared with a wagon of extra signs for those who want to protest but don’t have their own, or even people just walking by who want to join in for five minutes. Signs read “America Was Made By Immigrants,” “Honk for Democracy,” “Due Process For All Is The Law,” “No One Voted For Project 2025” and “Dump Trump.”
“Overall, it’s been nice to meet other people who are interested and ‘democracy,” Connolly said.
In addition to fostering community, however, the protest stands as a chance for many Swampscott residents to express their concerns with the Trump administration. Since returning to office, Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders, fulfilling campaign promises such as clamping down on illegal immigration, pardoning people who took part in the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, and preventing transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports. More recently, Trump decided to send the National Guard to California, which Gov. Gavin Newsom called an abuse of power. His White House administration has also been criticized for recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and large budget cuts.
On July 4, Trump passed the massive spending bill, “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the bill will add about $3.4 trillion to the federal deficits over the next 10 years. The bill also leaves millions without health insurance, particularly Medicaid.
Sheila Billings, a retired teacher, said she had seen throughout her years in the classroom students who relied heavily on Medicaid support.
“Even with Medicaid, I had children that would wait during the school vacation with a broken wrist and come back after school vacation so they could see the school nurse because they had no money,” Billings said.
Now, Billings is one of about 30 people that comes and protests every Thursday.
“Coming to this makes me feel better because at least I’m doing something and it reminds people that it’s happening,” said Billings.
