North Fork 'MAGA-Meetups' Planned: 'People Are Ready To Get Loud'

NORTH FORK, NY — The organizer of a Trump parade on the North Fork last weekend is energized and ready to keep rallying supporters: Vinny Tirelli of Mattituck announced Monday that he will organize a number of "NoFo MAGA Meetups" in Southold.

The events will take place on Wednesdays, beginning Wednesday of this week, at Triangle Park on Route 25 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

"Okay, North Fork! After all the enthusiasm at this Saturday's mini-GRAS event, and Sunday's monster run to Montauk, it's been expressed that people are ready to get loud on the East End! So here it is!" Tirelli said.

Every Wednesday afternoon, beginning at 4:30 p.m., Tirelli said, the group will rally at Triangle park in Southold, just east of South Harbor Road.

"Not a parade, just a rally to show support for our President. Wear your gear, bring your flags, wave them high, and let's show our support, and make noise like we always do," he said.

On Saturday, flags waving, a group of supporters turned out for the Trump "NOFO-MINI-Maga" parade that wended its way from Peconic to Orient and then through Greenport.

The event came a day before before the fourth "MAGA-Gras" Trump parade, organized by Shawn Farash, 29, of West Babylon, brought thousands to Montauk from Seaford.

Saturday's event, organized by Tirelli, was smaller but those who participated marked the day with cheers of enthusiasm.

"Today was moving," Tirelli said. The outpouring of support, Tirelli said, resonated. In the few days since he decided to organize the parade, "the calls, texts, messages, and everything I've gotten from people over the last few days is incredible. Thank you so much to everyone who came. You are what will Keep America Great."

Addressing participants before the event, Tirelli said: "We want to start it off the right way, though. We're going to do something they don't do a lot in America anymore. We're all going to take off our hats and say the Pledge of Allegiance."

Next, the group held a moment of silence for fallen military.

Tirelli is part of the group formed by Farash, who has organized the previous "MAGA-Gras" Trump parades, including one on the North Fork in September.

The idea for the North Fork event was born when Tirelli met Farash in Northport; although the two kept in touch, Tirelli said living so far out east, he wasn't able to attend as many parades as he would have hoped.

"I've had a lot of people say they wanted to get involved but they didn't want to take the ride all the way west," he said.

"A lot of people from out here were silent, and we're not silent anymore," Tirelli said. "It's not the silent majority anymore — it's loud. We are being seen and heard. People know where we stand now, and the support we've had is absolutely incredible," he said.

Tirelli, who attended the parade Farash organized on the North Fork last month, said he was moved. "Seeing the roads lined with all those Trump flags and American flags, it kind of goes right through you," he said.

Describing why he felt compelled to organize a local event, Tirelli said he believes many have been apprehensive about letting their political points of view be heard.

Tirelli, an EMT with the Mattituck Fire Department, has served in the military and has family members with careers in law enforcement. Saturday's event was not just a Trump rally; it was also a "Back the Blue" event, he said. Police officers, he said, have to show up at 2 a.m. when people are having the worst days of their lives. "And they do it, and do it well," he said.

Tirelli said he respects the political beliefs of others: While he is a "die-hard Republican, at the end of the day...if some other group wanted to have a parade for whoever they support, we would have no problem with that," he said. "That is your right as an American, to be able to voice your opinion for your political candidate," he said. "At the end of the day, whether Democrat or Republican, we are all American."

And he also wants to let Trump supporters find their voices. "I feel like there is a large contingent who remain silent because of everything that is going on in this country — and I think everyone should have the right to speak up for the President and for law enforcement," he said. "I just want to energize everybody."