Dear Editor,
I was quite baffled by the front-page picture with the headline “Mt. Kisco 'No Kings' rally draws thousands" in your April 9 edition.
I am not sure if your staff writer Carol Reif was actually at the rally or if she got these statistics second hand. If the latter is true, I give her and you a pass as bad information. If in fact someone from your publication actually was there, then I am going to call your article FAKE NEWS! Just like the main stream media, they love to push the narrative in favor of what is actually the opposite of the truth.
I know for a fact that there were quite a few people with their little cardboard signs, their oversize, outdated Halloween costumes and their irritating drums and noise makers. Were there a couple hundred? Maybe. But nothing close to thousands!
I also take offense to the paragraph calling my presence a “counter protest.” I would rather refer my attendance as a show of patriotism and support for the majority of American voters who overwhelmingly elected President Donald J. Trump again, now as our 47th president. Even the mainstream news called Mr. Trump’s win a “landslide.”
In addition, many who honked horns were in fact irate and annoyed over the excess traffic and the fact that our village is assaulted every Saturday by most who don’t even live here in Mt. Kisco. There is virtually no available parking, people cannot pass on the sidewalk and many are intimidated by the heckling and choose to avoid the area (and the stores).
I did, however, receive hundreds of thumbs up and honks in favor of my show of support for our great country. True, there was music; theirs were leftover rants from the drugged-out 1960s, while I chose to blast Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the USA.”
Thank you for your consideration and I hope to read a correction or retraction soon.
-Bob Scopelliti, Mt. Kisco
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VivienCord
Bob,
I'm glad you were present to express your right of free speech, which is exactly what the protesters are doing every Saturday. To be accurate, there were close to 2000 protesters for the big No Kings rally. The size was not visible from the road as we took up all the green space in front of Town Hall and the Library. The honks from passersby are in appreciation for our effort. The MAGAs (as expected) give us the middle finger. Thankfully, the honks far exceed the gesture. We gather from all over the county and beyond. Yes, many are indeed from Mt. Kisco and all of us frequent local shops and restaurants not only on Saturdays but during the week as our regular "go to" town. We specifically do NOT block stores nor sidewalks as you are claiming and we do not overstay our welcome, considering we take up only 1 hour a week. We are considerate of the privilege and take great pains not to abuse it. If you continue to be so enamoured by Donald Trump you must be wealthy or live under a rock. I have personally attended weekly for over a year and will continue to do so for as long as it takes. We demonstrate for the soul of our country and that includes for YOU.
Saturday, May 16 Report this
MountKisco
An article in The Recorder by Martin Wilbur includes a photo which shows the crowd was far greater than a couple of hundred as alleged a letter to the editor by Bob Scopelliti and much more consistent with a count of around 2,000 people as reported in this paper. The title of that article in The Recorder is "Close to 2,000 People Gather for No Kings Rally." https://www.therecorder.org/post/no-kings-rally-brings-2-000-to-mount-kisco. I also attended the rally and agree with the estimate of about 2,000. It was not fake news as Bob Scopelliti contends. His estimate of 200 people is what is called disinformation. He also provided other disinformation such as problems with parking at the weekly protests. I attend these protests called Rally for Democracy almost every week and there is no problem with parking in the lot behind the movie theater, a lot which is next to where the protests are held. There is always a lot of honking on East Main Street in support of the protests against authoritarianism in the United States. While not all people in the area will agree with the protesters it up to the newspapers and readers to sort out the truth from the disinformation as democracy cannot survive without truth as we Americans are clearly finding out in our own country.
Friday, May 22 Report this