Residents Hold Political Demonstration on Burlington Town Common

A crowd of about 50 people holding handmade signs gathered Saturday on the Town Common in front of Burlington Town Hall for a peaceful demonstration protesting President Trump’s administration. 

Burlington resident Mimi Bix-Hylan, who has been a social activist for many years, organized the protest, which addressed topics such as the mass firings of federal employees, Trump’s rhetoric regarding Gaza and Ukraine, his moves against DEI initiatives and environmental protections, USAID funding cuts and the rolling back of abortion rights. 

“It’s really important for communities across the country to speak out against the unconstitutional and illegal maneuvers this administration has been doing,” Bix-Hylan said.

Several of the signs bore messages directed at Trump and Elon Musk regarding democracy, such as “Trump is not a king,” “America is for All, not only the rich,” and “Our rights are not for grabs, neither are we.” A few of the signs addressed specific issues, saying “Democracy depends on the Free Press” and “Are your eggs cheaper yet?”

Bix-Hylan said she has been planning the demonstration for a couple of weeks and raised awareness about it through word of mouth. She said she was happy with the turnout. “People are intimidated by coming out and being in the public spotlight, so I’m OK with it being small,” she said. 

Michelle Huntoon, a Burlington Town Meeting member, spoke to the crowd about the mass firings of government employees. Huntoon said she was one of those who got fired – she was an attorney advisor for housing finance and programs in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development until February 14. 

“It was an amazing job,” Huntoon said. “I was there for a year and a half, and because I hadn't hit a two-year mark they decided to ignore all existing statutes, collective bargaining agreements, and eliminate across the country with a machete anyone who had not hit this specific time mark.”

Larry Cohen told the crowd he is concerned that Republicans will cut Medicaid, which provides health insurance for roughly one in five Americans. 

“My sister happens to be one of those people on Medicaid,” Cohen said. “She is only alive today because the National Institutes of Health funded the development of a life saving drug.” Trump has also ordered major reductions in NIH’s medical research grants, though a federal judge has temporarily blocked the cuts.

Burlington resident Larry Kerstein said this was the first protest he has participated in since 1969, when he protested against the Vietnam War. 

Kerstein said he heard about the demonstration in an email from the Burlington Democratic Town Committee and hopes it leads to larger protests. 

“I hope that people will see this as a viable response,” Kerstein said. “It’s got to be a ground up kind of thing. We have to save ourselves.”

Hudson resident Sara Frost said she has participated in three other protests in recent months in nearby towns like Framingham. She said she hopes the protest will make more people feel confident enough to speak out.

“It’s going to take the whole country speaking out to make any kind of change,” Frost said. “Congress needs to see this happen on every street in America.”

Burlington resident Janice Cohen, who is co-chair of the Democratic Town Committee, said she also marched in 2017 after Trump first got elected.

“It's very easy to just stay wrapped up in your own day-to-day issues and not be aware of what's going on,” Cohen said. “But I think it's very important that people really wake up and see what's happening and speak up.”

Two Woburn residents, Chris DiMeo and Shafique Ssemwogerere, said they are friends who came to the demonstration because they are concerned that the government’s executive branch is turning into a monarchy. 

“We wanted to join our Burlington Democrat friends to stand out today to stand up for justice,” DiMeo said.

DiMeo said they have attended small gatherings in Woburn but nothing as “well attended” as the protest in Burlington.

Richard Grossman came to the demonstration with his wife and two daughters, one in elementary school and one in middle school. Grossman said he protested for his daughters and to make America better for the next generation.

“You know, from the young people today to our veterans and to our elderly, everybody's got a stake in this,” Grossman said.

Two men, who declined to give their names but identified themselves as Burlington residents, wore pro-Trump hats and stood across Center Street from the Town Common throughout the demonstration. "They do not speak for Burlington," said one of the men, gesturing toward the crowd. "We just wanted to come out and show our support for the president." They did not move to interact with the protesters.

This story is part of a partnership between Burlington Buzz and the Boston University Department of Journalism.