SWAMPSCOTT — All the animosity of this year’s contentious election visited the small town of Swampscott each Thursday in the form of former radio host Dianna Ploss’ pro-Trump “Freedom Rally.”
The rally, which began in April as a protest against Governor Baker’s COVID-19 restrictions soon morphed into a weekly event where the Trump supporters and a group of counter-protesters would face off on opposing sides of Monument Square.
Notable about the rallies was the racist imagery and language sometimes used by Trump supporters. One rally featured a Confederate flag, and pro-Trump ralliers sometimes disparaged unarmed Black people like Breonna Taylor who were killed by police.
The rally also once drew a protest actor who wore Ku Klux Klan robes one week and blackface another. The man was not associated with either side.
One week, Hadley school went remote due to the concerns about the effects of the protests on students.
Even after President-elect Joe Biden’s November victory, the event has not died down — in fact, the vitriol has only intensified.
Ploss has continued to hold her standouts, which now often contest the results of the election.
The rallies have recently begun to draw a coalition of anti-Trump activists from Boston and the South Shore, who take a more contentious tone with the Trump supporters.
Most recently, there were several instances of arrests at the protests.
Three Trump supporters were charged with assault Saturday.
On Dec. 12, a counter-protestor was charged with assault and battery on a person 60 years or older, after he was accused of striking a Trump supporter who threw water on him.
The accusation has been cast in doubt by Jean-Jacques’ legal team, who claim that he was only attempting to grab the water bottle from the elderly woman’s hand.
The Board of Selectmen released a statement this November condemning the protests.
“These protesters’ presence in Swampscott serves only to increase our community’s resolve and commitment to becoming a more accepting, inclusive, and loving community that will work tirelessly to conquer the hate and fear these protestors represent,” they wrote.
“These protesters may be speaking from Swampscott, but they do not, and will never, speak for Swampscott.”
Some other stories included:
— A petition to recall Select Board Member Don Hause for comments he made about the BLM movement failed when they were unable to gain enough signatures.
— Swampscott police and fire unions voted to leave the civil service system, in a move that Town administrator Sean Fitzgerald hopes will increase the diversity of the organizations.
— The town decided on a site for a new district-wide school building at the site of the old Stanley school.
— New partner in anti-racism Tamy-Feé Meneide, began facilitating conversations about race and privilege.
— An incident in Vinnin Square over the summer in which a black woman was verbally harassed in the parking lot of a bank resulted in several protests that extended into Lynn.
— Newman’s Bakery, long a fixture on Humphrey Street, closed its doors in September. Family member Deborah Newman opened up “The Baker’s Daughter” further down the street.
