A decade into Donald Trump’s dominance of American politics, liberals are more dejected than ever. In the face of the second Trump administration’s brutal 100-day agenda (see: immigration, freedom of speech, the federal workforce), congressional Democrats’ most visible form of protest has consisted of … holding up little placards at the president’s speech to Congress or, in the case of Triangle representative Valerie Foushee, boycotting the speech altogether.
Rebecca Murphey, a Durham software engineer, does not claim to have figured out a magic solution to stop the administration in its tracks. But she has found a way to at least feel more connected to other people who are trying to resist the administration: For the past month or so, she’s been staging solo demonstrations on a South Durham street corner several days a week.
“I realized that I was waiting for someone else to do something and to tell me to do it too,” Murphey, holding a large TRUMP AND ELON DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU sign, tells me on a recent weekday afternoon at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and Hope Valley Road. “The Democrats had months to send us any call to action besides ‘give us money,’ and so I was very frustrated and kind of lost. So I just did it myself.”
Murphey says she doesn’t have a long past as an activist, but she’s always been especially interested in the First Amendment. Other signs of hers have included MY GRANDPA FOUGHT FASCISTS SO I COULD HOLD THIS SIGN and TRUMP TARIFFS RAISE YOUR PRICES.
Murphey says that while she could imagine Durham’s progressive drivers would honk for a FUCK TRUMP! sign, it wouldn’t necessarily feel as constructive. “Part of my principle is that we will write facts, and we’re not going to call anyone names,” she says. “It’s almost more important that the people who don’t agree read this. This is for the person who thinks maybe Trump is going to save them.”
Other recurring local protests have popped up, most notably at Tesla’s Raleigh showroom. For Murphey it’s more feasible to go to this intersection near her home than to trek to Wake County.
When she’s alone, she’ll sometimes listen to music or a podcast. Mostly, she says, she tries to engage with anyone who wants to, whether they’re giving her a thumbs-up or a middle finger.
On this particular day, she is joined by two other demonstrators, one holding a GOOD PEOPLE, WHAT ARE WE WAITING ON? sign. They both, Murphey says, found her via Bull City Reddit, where she recently posted about her new hobby and put out a call for others to join her. Her post racked up nearly 500 upvotes and over 100 comments. Some locals said that they would be sure to honk and wave next time, and one even offered a delivery of Girl Scout cookies.
As a deluge of cars—I count about 60 in one minute—blow through the intersection, I’m amazed by how many drivers wave or give their horn a little honk of recognition (although it seems some are probably just expressing frustration at other drivers). Murphey says that she’s been surprised by the variety of vehicles whose drivers seem to approve of her signage.
“We get lots of Teslas, we get work trucks, we get school buses, police officers,” she says, adding that it isn’t “just rich liberals in their fancy cars” who honk or wave.
Not everyone, of course, is happy with her. She gets plenty of rude gestures and even had some Twitter trolls sharing her photo around. As we talk, a local property owner shows up to complain about the noise of the honking—which is fair enough, though it’s the middle of the afternoon on a main road and Murphey is on a public sidewalk.
On Reddit, she got some of the usual rude comments and some that questioned the effectiveness of her solo protest—which also seems fair enough. What does she hope passersby take away from her demonstration?
“I hope that they’ll do something, call their congresspeople, join us out on the street corner, talk to their friends and get their friends to realize that what’s happening is not okay. Honking is great. And I hope that they’ll do something to try and act collectively,” she says.
And even though every honk is fleeting, it gives her a small sense of community.
“I do feel a sense that I’m not crazy, I’m not alone. So I wouldn’t say I feel any more optimistic, but I feel more connected to other people.”
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Reach Reporter Chase Pellegrini de Paur at chase@indyweek.com. Comment on this story at backtalk@indyweek.com.