Morganton and Valdese host dueling rallies in vivid display of democracy

The dichotomy of the political rift that exists nationally and locally was in full glory Saturday as Valdese and Morganton hosted the opposing viewpoints of most typically seen between Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.

In Valdese, the Burke County Republican Party held a Flag Day / Trump Birthday Celebration from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the heart of downtown. Jacumin Plaza was a blaze of red-white-and-blue with flags, several tents, banners, a speaker podium, a life size cutout of President Trump, hot dogs, and refreshments.

By 10:20 a.m., the plaza was steadily filling with participants, while in Washington, D.C., organizers launched a military parade as Trump celebrates his 79th birthday.

“First and foremost, it is Flag Day,” said Tim Buff, chairman of the Burke County Republican Party and an organizer of the event. “It’s also President Trump’s birthday.”

As the event was getting underway and Buff tested the speaker podium, he said he was anticipating a strong turnout.

About 12 miles to the west on the Burke County Historic Courthouse Square in downtown Morganton, hundreds of residents gathered for the Indivisible Rally for Democracy event mirroring the more than 1,800 similarly-themed rallies scheduled across the country.

Organizers were protesting President Trump’s mass deportations, militarized crackdown against protesters, defiance of court orders, and attacks on civil rights. “We’re going to show him on June 14 that real power lies in the people,” said Leah Greenberg⁠, co-founder and co-executive director of ⁠Indivisible.

Five residents spoke at the Indivisible event in Morganton: Abi Taylor, Martin Ivancic, Alice Horton, Sandra Salazar and Kristen Morrison. The short speeches addressed groups claiming that they are being diminished by federal policies, threats to democracy, and cut services. The speeches centered on poverty, education, immigrants, social support services, and the LGBTQ community.

As temperatures climbed, participants of all ages crowded beneath the large shade trees on the courthouse lawn to escape the blazing summer sun. Dozens brought lawn chairs. Many carried homemade signs

David Griffith was the official crowd counter and said he tallied 525 as of 11:15 a.m. “We counted children and babies but not dogs,” he said with a laugh while Alice Horton spoke.

As the noon hour approached, sign-carrying participants marched peacefully around the courthouse while passing cars honked horns and waved flags. Based on the cheers from the marches, the audibles from the automobiles were supportive of the effort.

The Indivisible Burke Rally for Democracy was organized by Indivisible Burke NC, a non-partisan group of Independents, Democrats, and Republicans, said Joani Richardson, one of the organizers of the all-volunteer non-profit. “This organization began earlier this year as a group of local women who were concerned about what they viewed as the increasing attacks on democracy in the U.S. These women began meeting monthly, numbers grew, and in March decided to register as a chapter of Indivisible.org,” she said.

“At this point, men were also invited and numbers continued to grow. While there is no formal membership process, there are now approximately 250 people on the mailing list, with active participation.”