Roughly 100 people demonstrated in Summit Tuesday night to call on the House of Representatives to impeach President Donald Trump and the Senate to remove him, as part of a coordinated nationwide movement that spanned more than 600 rallies.
Dubbed the “Nobody Is Above the Law” rallies, the events were organized by MoveOn, a progressive public policy advocacy group. The events were intentionally set for the night before the House of Representatives votes on the articles of impeachment for President Trump Wednesday.
“He needs to be held accountable,” said Marci Bandelli, a local activist and psychotherapist.
The House Judiciary Committee on Friday approved two articles of impeachment against President Trump. The charges now go to the full House for an expected vote this week.
The abuse of power charge stems from Trump’s July phone call with the Ukrainian president pressuring him to announce an investigation of Democrats as he was withholding U.S. aid. The obstruction charge involves Trump’s blocking of House efforts to investigate his actions. Trump has denied wrongdoing.
The freezing temperature and persistent light drizzle didn’t detract people from the rally in Summit. People held letters of the word “impeach” on white poster board, which were decorated with colorful holiday lights.
Chants of “impeach and remove” were heard throughout the rally, and people displayed their signs—some were homemade while others were hand printed by printmaker Libby Clarke.
One sign declared “Grab him by the Constitution,” while another said, “What the Founding Fathers feared,”’ with a painting of Trump looking into a mirror, with his reflection a king.
Eric Hausker, who brought the sign that compared the President to a king, said he believed Trump was “the biggest threat to our democracy.”
Hausker, who came from Rahway for the demonstration, said he was a 20-year old college student during the Watergate scandal, and believed it was nothing compared to the current situation.
About 5,000 people RSVP’d to the events across the country, which were set in more than 40 states and Washington D.C. There were 18 public events in New Jersey.
Similar events were held in Newark, Montclair, and Camden, among other locations. More than 100 people gathered in Princeton as well, where similar signs were displayed, such as one that said, “What are you hiding,” with a drawing of Trump.
The Summit event was organized by Lacey Cotter Rzeszowski, who previously ran for State Assembly in 2017 and is involved in other activist groups in the area.
“We come together tonight to show that patriots are those who put their country, not their party, first,” Rzeszowski said in a statement. “We hope tonight is the start of a new chapter in America, one that upholds the rule of law while acknowledging that the power ultimately belongs to the people.”
“We are here to impeach and remove,” she declared at the rally, speaking into a megaphone to the crowd’s cheers.
Laura Farmer, an independent opera singer and South Orange resident, led the crowd in the National Anthem at the start of the rally. Other speakers included Danny O’Sullivan, a councilman-elect and former NBA player, and Bandelli.
Rzeszowski read a statement at the rally from U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ 7th District), whose representation includes Summit. Malinowski outlined his decision to vote yes on the impeachment articles on Wednesday, saying, “I can think of nothing closer to the framers definition of abuse of power than what President Trump has done.”
“We certainly shouldn’t tolerate our highest leader using foreign policy to settle personal scores or to get political favors,” part of his statement read. “Only Congress can keep this from happening again, and I intend to my part.”
The impeachment efforts have also impacted local politics. New Jersey Democratic U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who opposes his party’s effort to impeach President Donald Trump, is poised to switch sides and become a Republican.
The Associated Press and staff writer Jonathan Salant contributed to this report.
Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @briannakudisch. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.
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