Last week, two event announcements were made via Facebook. The first was a Not My President protest, and the second was a counter-protest in support of President Donald Trump. Both groups were set to be at Lynn City Hall at noon on Presidents’ Day.
Both Facebook posts were met with support. The pro-Trump protest even received more than 125 reactions, a majority of which were positive.
However, three Daily Item staff members stood outside the steps of city hall with not a protestor in sight. It was crickets aside from an impatient car honk every now and then. The biggest action witnessed was multiple people trying to enter the building, completely forgetting today was President’s Day. It seems the protesters forgot, too.
Police cars circled the building, waiting for the action to start. Some officers asked if we were there waiting for the “big protest.” The question was met with laughter as we all realized no one was going to show up.
“We had officers assigned to the location to make sure they were there for the safety of both parties,” Lt. Paul Cotter said.
When asked if he had ever seen a protest fizzle out before it had even started, he said, “I suppose it could have happened over the course of my career. But it also could have been diverted because of the weather. We got no notice saying the protests were canceled.”
You would think, judging by the heated arguments in the comment sections and the rallying cry to bring signs, flags, and shirts, people would be chomping at the bit for the clock to hit noon. Maybe they were waiting for a personal invitation to attend such a monumental event.
If you were to walk by city hall Monday afternoon, you’d never know there were two protests planned. Perhaps the wind and sidewalks that felt more like ice skating rinks took precedence over political arguments.
