Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC) Frankfort rally joined by number of groups
With signs on their chests like “I stand for my immigrant father” and “I stand for equality for all,” hundreds of demonstrators stood silently in protest lining the tunnel between the Capitol Annex and Capitol Tuesday as lawmakers went to their respective chambers.
Saying the values of Kentuckians are under attack by the president, governor, Congress and the General Assembly, union members, members of the Kentucky Council of Churches, students, and environmental and social activists all joined in the Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC) rally “Stand For Kentucky,” voicing their support for issues like workers’ rights, raising the minimum wage, immigrants and the right to clean air and water, just to name a few.
The “Stand For Kentucky” rally came in response to a flurry of bills passed by a Republican majority during the first week of the legislative session. Right-to-work and prevailing-wage legislation raised the ire of union members just as a 20-week abortion ban and a bill requiring an ultrasound before a woman undergoes an abortion received criticism from reproductive rights supporters.
Demonstrators also had signs opposing President Donald Trump’s travel ban for residents of certain Muslim-majority countries and actions against the EPA.
Gov. Matt Bevin engaged a few demonstrators Tuesday, telling them they both shared commonalities during the silent protest. A United Food and Commercial Food and Commercial Workers union member interrupted Bevin, saying they were participating in an event where they weren’t saying anything.
“I will tell you honestly, one of the greatest gifts this country has is for people who don’t agree on something to be able to speak with one another,” Bevin said to the union member. “But when people come and try to suppress other people’s right to speak, it actually doesn’t help anything.”
What started as a silent protest before the 2017 legislative session reconvened later turned into a loud demonstration at the foot of the Senate and House chambers.
Supporters chanted “Stand up, fight back” and sang “Solid as a rock, rooted as a tree, we are standing here in our rightful place,” as they marched throughout the Capitol.
“A lot of good people came from all over the state to talk about issues and our values,” Owens said. “We just want the state to put its best foot forward; that’s what we are interested in. We know as a state of 4 million people that we have the resources to pay our state employees, pay the pensions they work for.
“We have enough resources for our public schools to teach our children. We don’t believe any parent should have to pay for private lessons just so kids can learn to read music and play an instrument. We don’t believe anybody should have to go bankrupt to pay a hospital bill. We are the richest country in the world. Of course, we can have good public schools. Of course, we can have health care for all.”
After the rally, KFTC volunteers told attendees they would have a presence and remain active during the session for upcoming legislation and will organize more events. For more information about KFTC visit kftc.org.
By Brad Bowman
The State Journal
