Like many Americans throughout the country, Islanders turned out in large numbers on Tuesday night — one day ahead of impeachment proceedings in the U.S. House of Representatives — to let it be known, loud and clear, that President Donald Trump should be removed from office.
The demonstration, held at the intersection of Bank Road and Vashon Highway starting at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 17, was chiefly organized by Indivisible Vashon, but part of the larger “Nobody’s Above The Law” rallies held in American cities large and small.
“Thank you, Vashon, for coming out,” Kevin Jones, a member of Indivisible Vashon, told the more than 100 participants who stood out in the cold with signs and banners around the busy intersection. “(On) impeachment eve, let’s let our members of Congress know that we really support their work to defend the constitution. I think that’s why you’re here, that’s why I’m here.”
Members of the U.S. House, including the island’s congressional representative, Democrat Pramila Jayapal — who supports removing Trump — were set to vote on two articles of impeachment: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Debby Jackson, a member of Indivisible Vashon, spoke about Trump’s conduct and the reasons for holding the rally in an interview with The Beachcomber.
“We feel that… President Trump has not been good for the country, that we need to have a change and we need to hold him accountable, because no one’s above the law,” Jackson said. “We wanted to participate in this rally because we believe that he did commit impeachable offenses.”
The impeachment charges stem from a phone call Trump had with his Ukrainian counterpart, in which he is believed to have asked the leader to investigate Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, a potential 2020 presidential rival. When Congress began to investigate, Trump’s administration was uncooperative.
Several islanders The Beachcomber spoke with during the demonstration expressed disappointment in Trump and his actions.
“The evidence clearly shows he has broken the law; he has not paid any attention to the Constitution — I don’t think he’s ever read it,” said Art Chippendale. “We have a constitution that was written to prevent things like this from happening. Because of his actions, we really do need to show our support for the Congress and the Senate to impeach and remove him from office. They won’t do it unless they are sure they have the support.”
Since the votes leading up to the proceedings have split along party lines, many political observers believe Trump will be impeached in the House but acquitted of the charges against him in a Senate trial, tentatively scheduled for next year.
Islanders participating in Tuesday’s rally agreed Trump probably would not be removed from office.
“I am pessimistic about that,” Chippendale said. “Apparently, the Republican senate, where he has a lot of strong support, is not going to let that happen. But it will be a shame to let abuse of power, such as this, to stand. It will set a terrible precedent for the people.”
Jackson voiced similar concerns.
“I have my doubts about whether he’ll be removed or not,” she said. “I think because the senate is majority Republican, I have my doubts.”
In his prepared remarks to rally attendees, Jones acknowledged the slim chances of Trump’s removal from office.
“This behavior is terrible and it justifies impeachment. However, unfortunately, we may not see Donald Trump go this time around,” he said to boos. “What that means is, it’s up to who?”
The crowd answered, “Us!”
Jones responded, “it’s up to us. It’s up to we, the people.”
He suggested several courses of action — starting with replacing Trump by voting him out of office in 2020.
“Trump’s a visible sign of a decaying democracy and we need to restore democracy,” Jones said.
Even though he held an “IMPEACH CONVICT!” sign at the rally, Evan Simmons told The Beachcomber his participation on Tuesday night was looking beyond the impeachment proceedings.
“I think the most important thing that can come from this is to motivate people to go out in the next year and register voters and get out voters,” he said. “I intend to do that.”
