ELY- In contrast to the “Not my President” day protests on Monday around the nation, a quiet, “Minnesota Nice” protest took place here on Saturday in Whiteside Park. A crowd that came and went over the course of a few hours, voiced support for federal employees and opposition to the anti-diversity and slash-and-burn tactics of the Trump administration.
The event, which appeared to be spontaneous, lacked a clear leader or theme.
No one advertised it on social media. Instead, word of the gathering spread through email, phone calls, and word of mouth. Disturbed by the tactics of the Trump administration, concerned people just showed up. Many came with their own homemade protest signs. Others made signs on the spot at a table someone brought with donated markers and posterboard. One person came with a big commercial coffee urn and donuts. Someone else brought cookies, giving the event a party-like atmosphere.
The protesters took their smorgasbord of signs and strategically placed them so they were clearly visible by Ely’s Whiteside Park webcam, which has thousands of viewers every month. The most prominent were in support of the employees of the U.S. Forest Service in danger of losing their jobs at the already understaffed Superior National Forest. The biggest sign was made by Peta Barrett of Ely, which read, “USFS Thank you for your dedication and service.” Another read, “Save Ely USFS jobs.”
Other signs read, “Let’s support our VA staff,” “God created diversity,” “DEI matters,” “We “heart” Federal Employees,” “My body, my choice,” and “Love your black, brown, immigrant, disabled, religiously different, LGBTQ, fully human neighbor.”
“These are our friends and neighbors,” said one unidentified protester with a “Save Federal Agencies” sign. “Every job lost hurts our local economy and our tourism.”
This coalescing of protesters started at 11 a.m. with a gathering crowd of about 30 people. How many ultimately turned out may be impossible to estimate as participants came and went over the course of a few hours.
City council tie-in?
The growing grassroots movement in Ely concerned over what is happening in Washington, D.C. first raised its head when local business owner Ozzie Reif addressed the Ely City Council on Feb. 4. Reif suggesting that the city made a statement to show and express community support of everyone in the city, especially Ely’s immigrants, LGBTQ+ residents, educators, and federal employees.
The protesters were aware that the city council had been approached by Reif. It is unknown whether the protest swayed the city council on Tuesday, when city council member Emily Roose proposed that the city publish a public statement on a twice-yearly schedule, saying: “The city of Ely is committed to be a community that welcomes and values diversity. We will work to be a place where all people, citizens and visitors alike, will feel safe and confident that the city of Ely respects the rights and dignity of all people. Please read the full mission, vision and values statement on the city of Ely Website.” The measured was approved by the city council at its Tuesday meeting.
Fear of retaliation
More than one of the people who gathered at Saturday’s protest requested that they not be quoted in this article. One was concerned for his job, where he is the face of his recreation-based organization. He was worried that his stance on issues could negatively affect the volume of his employer’s business.
“[My business] has professional relationships with organizations in town and I am the face of many of those relationships, politics are unrelated to our local … I would hate for someone to misunderstand my role as anything greater than someone who wanted to bring people together in the park to build community.”