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Signs of the
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PHOTOS AND TEXT BY AMY HADDEN MARSH Sopris Sun Correspondent
Signs of all sorts dotted the crowd at Paepcke Park Saturday, March 8 at a rally organized by Carbondale resident Linda Lafferty that drew roughly 350 people. Speakers included Pitkin County Commissioner Greg Poschman, Alan Muñoz Valenciano of Voces Unidas de las Montañas, Mountain Action Indivisible and journalists Andy Stone and Annalise Grueter. Residents of the Roaring Fork, Colorado River and Eagle River valleys were present — some angry, some sad and some out of work — ready to send various messages to lawmakers at all levels. “Lunatic at the helm”; “Grow a Spine Congress”; “Americans Against Oligarchy”; and “Speak Before it Becomes Illegal” were some of the slogans and suggestions from the crowd. An effigy of CD3 Congressman Jeff “(Un)Hurd” sat in a chair with his fingers in his ears, mocking Hurd’s dearth of town halls in this part of the district. (Note: Hurd offered a teletown hall at 6:30 pm Tuesday, March 11.) Stone, a former editor of the Aspen Times, told the crowd that Donald Trump has declared the press as the enemy of the people. He spoke of news deserts, billionaire-owned media and recent Trump lawsuits against broadcasting giants ABC and CBS. “Donald Trump sued [ABC] for $15 million because a reporter said [Trump] had been found guilty of rape,” he recalled. “Everyone thought there was no way Trump could win. But ABC settled. They gave $15 million to the Trump Foundation.” “You’ve got to maintain the free press,” he added, citing local media outlets. “These are important things. We need to fight for them.” He encouraged the crowd to vote, organize and reclaim the country, step by step. “Standing against unconstitutional actions is not an act of rebellion,” he said. “It’s an act of fidelity to the ideals of justice.” Muñoz Valenciano, regional manager for Voces Unidas de las Montañas, fired up the crowd on a cold late afternoon before talking about immigration and the need for racial equity. He said immigrant communities have been marginalized by both Trump administrations. “They have been told to ‘Put your head down because you don’t know the risks that might come from an administration like this,’” he said. continued on page 8
Volume 17, Number 4 | March 13-19, 2025