The vibe was upbeat at Saturday’s No Kings protest in Sag Harbor despite the persistent rain. Newspaper protocol dictates that journalists do not attend as participants, but, curious, I drove over in my role as a journalist, to grab a few photographs and take the temperature of the gathering.
Sag Harbor’s protest was not the only one planned for the South Fork — at East Hampton Town Hall, a couple hundred more people lined Pantigo Road. And in Amagansett, two protesters staked out a spot on Main Street to make their feelings clear; they sent us a snapshot by email.
Traffic was backed up getting into Sag Harbor, but I found a parking space in a back lot. Groups of people unloaded signs and made their way toward the park. I followed, noting their juxtaposition with the black-clad workout class participants in the studio we passed with floor-to-ceiling windows on Long Island Avenue. I lifted my coffee by way of saying hello; the fitness people did not appear in the least interested in anything other than their biceps.
I had hoped to keep a low profile wearing a trucker hat with my hoodie over it and a rain slicker on top of that. No dice. Even though I tried to slip in the back of the huge crowd, people I knew spotted me to say hello. Though I agreed with the politics of the crowd, my role was to observe and document, not be part of the story, no matter how small.
In all, I was not there more than 15 minutes, having gotten my pictures and a minute of video of the front line of sign-holders along the approach to the Lance Corporal Jordan C. Haerter Veterans’ Memorial Bridge. Drivers honked as they passed. The crowd cheered. I headed to a friend’s studio for a visit and to get help with a part for my boat, but I came away impressed and with the sense that this had been a historic day.