By COLIN McEVERS

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On April 19, hundreds of residents gathered in the Salisbury City Park for a “No Kings” protest, part of a nationwide effort to criticize the Trump administration’s policies and actions. 

Jared Schablein, Chairman of a progressive political organization that operates on Maryland’s Eastern Shore called Shore Progress, was present at the event. 

“I think the main message [for the protest] is that people are frustrated; I feel like we had a President who campaigned on lowering prices and he’s done everything but that, whether it’s tearing up first start, head start, Americorp, or any of these other helpful agencies that helped communities like ours, that have struggled with poverty and getting high-paying jobs and industries here,” he said. 

“Everyday you turn on the news and there’s a lot of chaos happening.”

Megan Outten, a former City Councilwoman and member of Shore Progress, was in attendance as well. Outten and Schablein were asked to speak at the gathering. They provided the sound system and distributed literature to attendees that detailed legislative accomplishments over the course of Maryland’s general assembly session. 

“We were handing out some information about some legislation that passed in Annapolis as well as our end of session report,” Schablein said. “We just wanted to let folks know what happened in Annapolis this year and show that government is functioning at some levels.”

Only yards away from the park where scores of protesters were assembled, members of Salisbury’s Rebirth Life, a Christian group, hosted a homelessness food distribution event. 

Most of those in attendance were right-leaning. 

Chris Boshoff, an immigrant and member of the Delmarva Conservative Movement, praised the right to freedom of speech which was on display. 

“The fact that we can have fairly opposing views within feet of one another, being able to express their feelings, should be considered a privilege,” he said. “It is not something that is shared in most other countries.”

Bosoff discussed his insistence on entering the United States and becoming a citizen legally, which he considers to be a point of contention with those on the opposite end of the political spectrum. 

“Despite the risks that this current government is imposing on foreigners, I stand by it one hundred percent,” Bosoff said. “There is no doubt in my mind that a cleanse is heavily needed… I don’t see why we need [to] allow people in as they please and risk the safety of the citizens and risk joblessness.”

Debbie Kraus, a 70 year-old Wicomico County resident who is a member of the Wicomico Democratic Club, was one of many protesters at the city park on Saturday. Her goal for protesting was to stand in defiance against the Trump administration, which she described as a coup. 

“I’m overall concerned, I think people need to speak out,” she said. “I think it’s time that we need to get out, Democrats have been pretty lazy about it and I do believe that persons of color are not coming out at this time because they’ve been screwed over so much and also it’s dangerous for them to come out.”

“And immigrants, they can’t come out here, ICE is right in town now.”

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Featured image: Colin McEvers / The Bury Post