My Turn: Sending an important message at 70 mph

Glenn Carstens-Peters/StockSnap

By RICHARD WEDEGARTNER

Published: 06-02-2025 12:10 PM

Iread a lot of news and blogs. Most of my news comes from the left: MSNBC, columns or blogs by Heather Cox Richardson, Joyce Vance, Robert Reich, and others. My concern about the direction of our country has increased daily since President Donald Trump was installed as our 47th president.

About six weeks ago, I decided I had to do something, anything that would make me feel like I was pushing back on the authoritarianism taking control of our country. I planned to adopt a bridge over a major highway in our city. I chose the I-91 overpass on Colrain Street, near Greenfield Community College. I-91 runs north and south and gets major traffic all week, especially on Friday, as people travel to Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, or Canada.

I arrived at the overpass about 4:30 on a Friday afternoon. Earlier in that week, I asked a few people to join me if they were available at that time of day. Two people were on the bridge facing the northbound traffic, holding signs and waving at the traffic. I joined them with my “Due Process” sign. Half an hour later, we were joined by several more protesters. A friend asked me if I thought standing on a bridge with a sign and waving at traffic would do any good.

I said, “You never know.”

Standing on a bridge had a placebo effect, making me feel better. Many drivers waved, honked, and flashed their lights. We exchanged energy, but at 70 miles per hour, what messages were we sending? I assume they agreed with us and were glad to see our protest.

But what about the minority of motorists who give us a thumbs down or wave to us with a one-fingered salute? What are they reacting to or objecting to? They were not in the majority on an interstate going north in New England, but they are there. Are they offended by someone holding an American flag upside down? Maybe they object to one or more of the signs held. Again, there is no time for conversation at 70 miles per hour, leaving only my speculation about their motivation.

I have been back to my bridge a few more times on Friday afternoons. My most recent visit was Friday, May 30. I arrived at 4:30 p.m., and no one else was on the bridge. I thought, “What the heck, I am here, and I will stay an hour or so. And who knows, maybe more folks will show up.”

I held up my sign that said “Due Process” and began to wave at the traffic. I was alone on the bridge. No one else showed up, and this led to an interesting observation. Only one guy on an overpass holding one sign still got horn honks, headlight flashes, waving hands, and thumbs up. And I confess that when a big semitruck responds to my arm pumps with a big horn blast, I feel joy! More importantly, it makes me think that if Trump is losing the truckers, then there is still hope.

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But then there were those giving me thumbs down and one-finger salutes. These people were not reacting to an upside-down American flag or an “Impeach Trump” sign. No, they were reacting to me and my “Due Process” sign. It is frustrating not to be able to communicate directly with those people. I wish I could ask the person who just flipped the bird to me and my “Due Process” sign, “Do you have any idea what is happening in our country right now?”

One thing I would like to say to that person is, “I do not just stand on a bridge over an American highway to protest for myself … but also for thee.”

Richard Wedegartner lives in Greenfield and served on the Greenfield Town Council in the mid-1990s.