Crowds Turn Out For Women's Marches In Sag Harbor, NYC

SAG HARBOR, NY — Carrying signs and uniting in solidarity exactly one year after President Donald Trump's inauguration, East End residents took to the streets in Sag Harbor —with many others heading to New York City — joining other groups across the nation and world rallying for change and women's rights.

In Sag Harbor, the East End Women's March drew more than 300 who came with brightly colored signs such as "This is not normal", "Tweet Women With Respect," and "Here Me Roar."

Minerva Perez, executive director of Organización Latino-Americana of Eastern Long Island, explained why she felt it was critical to attend.

"Last year I went to the march in D.C. with my daughter. I felt then and I felt today that our unity and message together with concrete action will reset the moral compass of this country."

T.J. Clemente, who lived for years in Montauk, headed to the march in New York. "I march with my wife Cindi Sansone Braff and for my two daughters because I love them and know the system is rigged to hold them back," he said.

April Gornik of Sag Harbor said the local event was infused with "fantastic energy." She lauded speaker Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming for her speech.

"We also have a terrific police force; they host compassionately and respectfully," Gornik said.

In her speech, Fleming said the crowd joined many thousands of others in spirit, "who are, like us, standing together today throughout the country in defense of our ideals and our nation. Our beloved nation that can and should fill us with pride and offer us promise for the future."

Fleming quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who said, "Our lives begin to end the day we remain silent about things that matter."

The crowd was joined together in frustration, Fleming said. "We're here to support women's rights. And while reports of widespread harassment and criminal abuse in our culture have been disheartening, I have watched in awe as a former assistant district attorney for sex crimes prosecution, as women have come forward, and their experiences have been supported and credited as never before."

Crowds gathered to "protest the seemingly endless parade of harmful policies that are raining down on our nation," including drilling in the ocean, a tax plan that promises to "cripple" Long Islanders, and an immigration policy that leaves young and vital members of the community living in fear, Fleming said.

"We are living in a time when decency and civility are so often lacking in public discourse and public policy," Fleming said. "Often shockingly so."

She added, "We are living in a time when those in charge of our government seemed to have formed a circular firing squad and are unable to fulfill the very basic responsibilities of running our national government."

Fleming referenced the government shutdown, something she said has never happened under unified party control of Congress and the White House.

"Where is the sense of decency?" she asked, referencing the human impact of a furlough on federal workers, not funding CHIP, and leaving dreamers in limbo.

"The politics of simply making the other side look bad is a toxic way to govern and we must get away from it," Fleming said.

But in unity, there is hope, all present agreed. To the cheers of the crowd, Fleming added, "We will do what we as Americans do best — we will let our voices be heard, and we will lift each other up."

With Patch courtesy photos by April Gornik, T.J. Clemente and Minerva Perez.