GREENFIELD — The divide in American politics could be seen Friday afternoon on Mohawk Trail.
About 20 supporters of President Donald Trump, who began to gather on the Mohawk Trail at around 3 p.m., stood on either side of the highway with Trump signs. Meanwhile, a handful of counter-protesters stood opposite them on the island separating the entrance and exit into the shopping plaza, where Big Y, Staples and the Dollar General are all located. A smaller group of counter-protesters, holding Black Lives Matter and anti-Trump signs, also occupied the median strip in the highway.
Still, demonstrators on both sides of the political divide were united in their reason for being there: to remind people to vote in November, whether they want to keep Trump in office another four years or to replace him with Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
“Get out and vote,” said Kellie Hemingway of Greenfield, who stood with the counter-protesters.
Hemingway said although she’s frequently on the Greenfield Common for the weekly Black Lives Matter rallies, she showed up to the Mohawk Trail on Friday to counter-protest the Trump supporters she heard planned to demonstrate there.
“I want to also show that not everybody who supports Black Lives Matter or not-Trump is all about rage,” she said.
Other protesters, such as Chelsea Faria of Northampton, said she disagrees with all tenets of the Trump campaign, which she said are based on racism and lies.
“We do not want him re-elected,” she said.
For the Trump supporters, Friday’s rally was about expressing their support for the president.
Chris Ryan, who organized the rally on Friday afternoon in addition to several other rallies across the Pioneer Valley, said people were there both to support the president and to back the police.
“We decided to come to Greenfield because we consider it to be a failing city,” Ryan said, adding that he doesn’t support Mayor Roxann Wedegartner.
Ryan declined to share which city or town he resides in, but said he feels as though Greenfield “targets” its police — a department he considers to be “one of the finest in the country.”
Although Ryan said he intentionally didn’t advertise the Greenfield rally on well-known Facebook groups in the community, he wasn’t surprised to see the counter-protesters.
“It adds flavor,” he said.
Douglas Lyman, who has supported Trump since he was first elected, said he was glad to see the support they were getting from people driving by.
“The drive-by support we’re getting is shocking me,” he said, “at least compared to 2016.”
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 263. Twitter: @MaryEByrne