RR Branstrom Daily Press A small group of activists has taken to the intersection of Lincoln and Ludington in Escanaba. on Tuesdays to make their voices heard on variety of issues. Although small in number, they are getting noticed.

ESCANABA — For the past several Tuesdays, a small group of activists has taken to the intersection of Lincoln and Ludington in Escanaba. A little after noon Tuesday, there were nine people on three of the four corners, displaying signs of protest directed at the federal administration. The numbers might not seem impressive, but the group is being noticed.

Sporadic but frequent honking from vehicles has now also come to the intersection between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on “Take Action Tuesdays.” Though some of the responses are angry and accompanied by expletives, most of the honks and waves appear supportive.

The signs carried such messages as “Stand up and fight for VA healthcare,” “Musk has to go — Trump has to be stopped” and “Greenland? WTF!?”

Organizer Dan Young stated, “We’ll be here every Tuesday until we feel it’s no longer necessary.”

So what makes waving signs and flags at the busy crossroads “necessary”?

“Democracy dies in silence. If we don’t stand up, it will die, and we will have a dictatorship just like they got in China, just like they got in Russia, just like they got in Iran,” said Gerry Nelson.

“Just like they had in Nazi Germany in World War II,” Young continued. He remarked that his father, a veteran of that war, used to say that the reason this country doesn’t now speak German is because good people stood up for what was right.

The signs held by the others conveyed a number of concerns, some of which allude to the “hands off” protests planned nationwide for April 5.

“Hands off our environmental laws,” read one sign.

“Hands off Medicaid and Social Security,” said several.

“I’m protesting to bring awareness to others of what’s going on in our country today, and how Trump is trying to usurp our government by putting Elon Musk … a South African immigrant took over our President’s job,” said Anne Supik. “These people are so afraid immigrants are going to take over their jobs, they haven’t even looked at the White House.”

Both Supik and Nelson said that they want people to “think.” Nelson remarked that some sources from which people get information isn’t actually “news” but “brainwashing.”

For example, “Ukraine was invaded, and now people are shifting to the side of Russia,” said Nelson. “It appalls me, it really does.”

A handful of the protesters on Tuesday carried American flags. They want the country to head in the direction they see as right and “restore our standing” in the eyes of other world nations, as Young put it.

He said that these protests in Escanaba began to assemble after it became apparent that several people were depressed and disheartened with the new President’s actions. Young thought there had to be an outlet.

“We can let the world know that every American doesn’t support this stuff,” he said.

Addressing a rumor that some protesters are being paid: “You couldn’t pay me enough to come out and freeze my butt!” Young laughed.

Several of the protesters mentioned that they hoped for a bigger crowd on Saturday.