Grannies Rage in Song at Indivisible Trinidad

This is a press release from the Raging Grannies:

Members of the Raging Grannies stopped by Saturday to join Indivisible Trinidad’s regular weekly anti-Trump rally, belting out some of their signature protest songs set to old-timey favorites.

“Go, yell it at the White House, up on the Hill and everywhere. Go, yell it at the White House, that justice must prevail,” protesters sang on Main Street from the Grannies’ song sheet (to “Go Tell It on the Mountain”).

Invited to Saturday’s protest by Indivisible Trinidad member Jackie Hogan, the half-dozen Grannies (“Three Grannies is a gaggle,” one member told the North Coast Journal at a Women’s Day march in Eureka last month) helped turn the regular event into an anti-Trump camp sing-along. Dressed as spoof grannies, the Humboldt chapter of Raging Grannies are a regular fixture at area rallies and political demonstrations since the early 2000s.

Saturday protest regulars, including Indivisible Trinidad organizer Tina Freeland, were enthusiastic about the musical addition. “This is so great,” said Barbara Snell, 95, who started the Trinidad sit-ins.

This week’s two-hour protest — the usual nice mix of political kvetching, summer camp sing-along and community get-together — drew nearly 30 people waving  inverted American flags, “No Kings!” “Dump Trump!” and “Hands off My Democracy!” signs, as well as references to administration plans for huge detention camps: “Community, Not Cages.” Another said, “Impeach ‘Dr. Jesus’ Trump,” referring to an AI image of the president as Jesus that many found offensive.

Singing to the tune of the patriotic anthem “God Bless America,” the Grannies and Indivisibles serenaded passersby and honking motorists with, “God help America! We need you bad, ’cause our leaders are all cheaters and we’re making the world really mad.”

“My Country ’Tis of Thee” morphed into “My Country, tears for thee, sweet land of tyranny, of thee we sing! Where people’s rights are gone, while endless wars drag on, we must rebuild our foundation, we don’t want a king!”

“That’s so cool,” a passing woman with a dog said. “Thanks for doing this.”