Peekskill Makes Itself Heard at the Fight Back President’s Day Rally

On Monday February 17, between 300 and 400 people gathered outside Senator Schumer’s office in Peekskill and made some noise during the Fight Back President’s Day Rally. The talking points were many, but Andrew Courtney encapsulated the primary objective.

“The time is right now to step up and remind our representatives why they are where they are,” said the Croton-on-Hudson resident. “We voted for them.”

And fright can’t keep them from standing up to a Donald Trump’s vision of Democracy that includes racism, criminality and oligarchy, he added

Of course, he doesn’t count himself among the frightened and isn’t scared to say that government waste should be a target. However, he’s certain that the means don’t add up. “We want to cut waste, but shouldn’t kill the whole body,” Courtney clarified.

Courtney also fails to understand why corporations can’t see the importance of the regulatory system that the President wants to hinder. “If we aren’t secure and protected, corporations won’t have any customers,” he said.

Shortsighted is more like it, according to Mark Lieberman, and he worries how America could be taken back to the old world of corporate order. They will take advantage of workers and companies will damage the environment when there’s no recourse, Courtney asserted.

Laura Gould of Somers was concerned on a larger scale. Democracy at stake, she said, “The entirety of everything that can get in their way of taking over is being taken out of the way.”

That’s where our United States Representative is supposed to come into play, according to Bill Keane. “Mike Lawler do your job,” the Somers resident implored. “You need to stand up against this would-be dictator.”

It helps when our representatives are shown the way by citizens, though, and in terms of the federal agencies that are being stripped, Keane hopes his Republican neighbors will join the outcry. “The cutting of agencies and hundreds of thousands of workers will affect millions of lives,” said Keane. “These include the disabled, vets and the most needy among us.”

Among those workers are Michelle’s son. Due to the cuts on the federal workforce by DOGE, he recently lost his job with the Natural Parks Service, and with the employment, so went his housing.

Many others have faced the same, and she sees the action as a betrayal. “Forest rangers could make more money in the private sector, but they took this job because they care and are so devoted,” she said.

The 6.6% total tally on the annual budget for all federal workers doesn’t seem to justify either, and she turns to her Trump supporting nephew to explain the ruse. “He believes that Trump’s strategy is to burn the whole thing down and then build it up,” Michelle revealed.

So Janet Keane was here to keep her head down and focused.“I’m here to protest the government of Elon Musk,” the Somers resident said flatly.

Alycia Overmyer had good reason too and provided some disturbing nuance in terms of the USAID cuts. She cited the issue of anti-viral AIDS treatment in Africa, and the manner in which the virus is mutating.

So it’s very important that the science stay ahead of the disease. The elusiveness of the virus always a given, efforts are about to get even harder and remarkably language is the reason.

Inside Medicine published a list of specific words targeted for removal in the communications review, including gender, transgender, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) and nonbinary. CDC's chief science officer said that such a list went out from CDC to its divisions, according to the reporting of Julie Steenhuysen and Nancy Lapid of Reuters.

But the Trump directive goes far beyond insensitivity. The Friday withdrawal order involves all manuscripts written or co-written by CDC scientists. If CDC scientists are co-authors on a paper that originated outside of the agency, they are asked to take their names off the paper, the CDC has directed the agency.

All papers awaiting review by the administration, public health experts are understandably concerned. The removal of such terms threatens their ability to address all kinds of medical needs as they affect different groups, including those with HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, Steenhuysen and Lapid conveyed.

As such, The executive director of the HIV+ Hepatitis Policy Institute adds his name to the potential hamstring. ”We can't just erase or ignore certain populations when it comes to preventing, treating or researching infectious diseases such as HIV. I certainly hope this is not the intent of these orders," said Carl Schmid.

As for Overmyer, she can’t help being distressed but also understands the unpopularity of foreign aid among many Americans. Unfortunately, the position only hurts ourselves. “Issues that affect us don’t stop at our borders - especially things like disease,” she reasoned.

Hard to argue with, Lydia Morales had the last word in the form of a question. Democracy, diversity, equality and inclusion,” she concluded, “which part do you oppose or do you oppose them all.”

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