Western Massachusetts protesters call for ouster of President Donald Trump on eve of impeachment vote

SPRINGFIELD — Protesters braved the icy elements Tuesday night outside the U.S. District Court on State Street to demonstrate their desire to see President Donald Trump removed from office, and their support for U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal’s expected vote to impeach.

“He’s been supportive of Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi’s actions,” event organizer Erin Freed of Longmeadow said of the Springfield Democrat. “We are confident that he will support impeachment.”

Neal, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has his district office in the courthouse. Neal is expected to speak from the floor of the House in Washington on Wednesday, and he has supported each stage of the impeachment inquiry thus far.

The Springfield rally, organized by Rise Up Western Mass Indivisible and Northampton Indivisible, was one of about 600 rallies taking place across the nation as part of MoveOn.org’s “Impeach and Remove” campaign. Groups hosted similar rallies Tuesday night in Easthampton, Belchertown and Pittsfield.

Mark Chamberland of Chicopee pulled out a pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution when asked why he attended the Springfield rally.

“Trump is not the government,” he said. “There are three branches of government. We need to see the legislative branch do its job and hold him accountable.”

Speaker Ishmael Ali said he was excited to see a relatively large crowd despite the bad weather.

“Because I know you’ll be out there when it’s hot and we have sunshine,” he said. “Let’s make our voices heard.”

Joel Feldman had a sign reading “Keep Your Tiny Hands off 2020,” a reference to Trump’s influence on the upcoming elections. Feldman, who lives in Northampton but has his law office in Springfield, said he did’t make the sign.

He said he’s happy to the see the House take action. He knows some are skeptical of how Republican leaders in the Senate will handle Trump’s removal trial if the Democratic House votes to impeach. But Feldman said at least the charges against Trump will get a public airing. Each Senator, regardless of party, will have to make a decision and each will face his or her conscience.

“You never know,” he said.

Organizer Debby Pastrich-Klemer, co-founder Indivisible Northampton, said that while the demonstration was at Neal’s office, the groups are also supportive of U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester.

McGovern chaired a House Rules Committee meeting in Washington on Tuesday, opening it with a somber reminder for representatives both Republican and Democrat.

“History is testing us,” McGovern said, according to prepared remarks sent by his office. “We can’t control what the Senate will do. But each of us can decide whether we pass that test — whether we defend our democracy, and whether we uphold our oath.”

The Rules Committee is the body in charge of setting the rules for the House impeachment vote set for Wednesday.

“Today we’ll put a process in place to consider these articles on the House Floor,” McGovern said. “And when I cast my vote in favor, my conscience will be clear.”

McGovern outlined the charges against Trump this way:

“President Trump withheld Congressionally approved aid to Ukraine, a partner under siege. Not to fight corruption, but to extract a personal political favor. President Trump refused to meet with Ukraine’s president in the White House until he completed this scheme. All the while, leaders in Russia — the very nation holding a large part of Ukraine hostage, the very nation that interfered with our elections — had another meeting in the Oval Office just last week.”

McGovern’s district includes Northampton and other parts of Hampshire County, as well as parts of Franklin County, the town of Palmer and much of Worcester County.

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