United We Stand – for our right to publicly disagree politically

Vigil for Democracy founder Len Sherp, seated, finds himself surrounded by the opposition perspective on the president during the September 26 noontime vigil. The press negotiated a truce to facilitate a photo illustrating both sides’ intention of uniting to oppose any municipal effort to move them to a more obscure location. Pictured behind Sherp, from left, are Dean Peterson, Ralph and Michael Waller. Photos/Roger Bianchini

They say politics makes strange bedfellows – and it couldn’t get much stranger than pro- and anti-Trump contingents presenting a united front right here in Front Royal, Virginia.  But that could be the outcome if the Town of Front Royal pursues an initiative brought forward by some downtown, East Main Street business interests to try and move political demonstrators out of the Town Gazebo Village Commons area at the intersection of East Main and Chester Streets.

Photos taken, the truce collapsed into the ongoing debate over the relative merits of the 45th president of the United States, as Ralph Waller prepares to take a playful poke at the loyal opposition in defense of the president and nephew Michael’s side of the argument – it was good natured, we swear.

It is there on both sides of Chester Street that dueling political perspectives regarding the persona and agenda of the 45^th president of the United States have been expressed for one hour, once a week over the past 18 months.

The rationale on removal from the center of Front Royal’s Historic Downtown Business District cited by town officials in communication with local Business Forum representatives is that the demonstrations are scaring potential customers away. See Related Story

A council majority and the mayor appeared reluctant to tackle the issue without more substantive evidence of that alleged disruption of local business or tourism.  Town Attorney Doug Napier suggested caution in any attempt to alter the nature or space of the demonstrations due to First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly regarding political opinions written into the U.S. Constitution.

Well, there is this silly, little Constitutional guarantee of the right to assemble in public space to express political viewpoints – Town Attorney Doug Napier briefs council on those rights on September 4.

However, while expressing unfamiliarity with the dueling demonstrations Vice-Mayor Eugene Tewalt volunteered to approach leadership of the two sides about the possibility of relocating to a less obtrusive spot than the town’s public square and nearby public property under the town clock.  A public space between South Commerce Avenue and Happy Creek south of the Pavemint restaurant was mentioned as a possible destination.

From an initial polling it appears the vice mayor’s initiative was met with less than an enthusiastic reaction from both sides of the political street.

“Sure, we’d do it with them – they’re not going to push us out of here,” original pro-Trump demonstrator Ralph Waller told Royal Examiner around noon on September 5, when informed of the business forum initiative brought to council the previous evening.  “Them” are the anti-Trump contingent across Chester Street from both pro-Trump demonstrations AND his Main Street Pawn Shop in front of which he initiated those demonstrations some 17 months ago.

This past Wednesday wasn’t the first time the two sides have crossed the street to seek common ground or debate their dueling perspectives. Here, Bob Hill extends a hand of truce to Ralph Waller in August 2017.

Waller’s business is essentially at ground zero of the dueling demonstrations, and he does not believe those demonstrations are deterring anyone from doing business downtown.  Told a jewelry shop owner across East Main Street was the closest business represented in support of the business forum initiative, Waller observed, “This is a tough time for the jewelry business everywhere.  Our jewelry sales are down but I don’t think it has anything to do with one hour, once a week out here,” he said gesturing toward the door to his shop from behind the counter.

Waller’s expression of potential legal unity with those of a different political perspective was not the only one we encountered that day.

“I’ll be proud to stand next to the Democrats for our right to be out here,”  teenaged Trump supporter Joel Simmons told Royal Examiner later that afternoon as Republicans gathered at party headquarters near the Chester Street political divide for an appearance by Virginia Congressional candidate Corey Stewart between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on September 5.  In fact, during a brief media interview Stewart expressed support of the dueling downtown Front Royal political demonstrations.

Of downtown political demonstrations, Republican Senatorial candidate Corey Stewart tells WDVM reporter Bria Lloyd, ‘I think it’s really great what you have here in Front Royal – a real town center where citizens can get together and share political views, that doesn’t happen in every community, so it’s a very nice thing.’

‘Turf war’ revisited

That late-afternoon September 5 Republican gathering coincided with the first Wednesday in which the pro-Trump contingent had permitted the gazebo area for their demonstration.  That permitting is for six weeks, the maximum length of time a space may be permitted by the town government.  Consequently, as we spoke to Ralph Waller around noon on September 5, the space in front of his shop was empty while Len Sherp’s anti-Trump Vigil for Democracy was back to its earlier fall-winter noon to 1 p.m. timeframe, perhaps six weeks earlier than anticipated.

Warren County Republican Committee Chairman Steve Kurtz verified to Royal Examiner that he had initiated the permitting location change for the pro-Trump side some six weeks after initially being removed by town police from the gazebo during the July 25 pro- and anti-Trump demonstrations. See Related Story

“I went in and asked about its availability and was told it was available as of September 5.  I said they’ve been there what, a year and a half – that’s long enough,” Kurtz said as he prepared for the first Wednesday afternoon occupation of the gazebo area by Republicans on September 5 for the Corey Stewart visit.

Local Republicans prepared the Town Gazebo for Corey Stewart’s September 5 visit in the 4:30 to 6 p.m. time slot.

Asked if the pro-Trump contingent had maintained permitting for both sides of the street, Kurtz said, “No, I wouldn’t do that to them” – indicating he just wanted the demonstration “high ground” for the pro-Trump side for a change.

Asked if he wanted to comment for this story, Kurtz declined, saying he believed that those Republicans cited in the article – Ralph Waller, Joel Simmons and Dean Peterson had done a good job in representing the local committee’s stance.

Faced with a 4-1/2 hour gap between the two demonstrations (Kurtz’s gazebo area permit is from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.) when we talked to him on September 5, Waller laughingly bemoaned that gap – “Now we don’t have anyone to yell at” – though in ensuing weeks the initial pro-Trump contingent of Ralph Waller and his nephew Michael have reappeared at the noon hour with another supporter or two to keep the dueling perspectives in the same time slot.

Vigil for Democracy participants poke a little fun across the street and counter for Democratic candidates Jennifer Lewis in the Sixth Congressional District and flat-Tim Kaine, lurking behind the Lewis sign, in the noon hour time slot.

Both Waller and Vigil for Democracy organizer Len Sherp have noted that for gatherings of less than 50 people, no permit is required other than as a securing of a location.  One of those we encountered with the Wallers on the traditionally Trump and pawn shop side of Chester Street at subsequent noon-hour pro-Trump gatherings was Page County Republican Committee member Dean Peterson.  Peterson has been helping the Warren County Republican Committee with its pre-Congressional mid-term campaign headquarters and has consequently become a familiar face on the pro-Trump side of the street.

Divided we demonstrate …

Peterson, like Ralph Waller and even Simmons on occasion, have been among those hurling pro-Trump, anti-Democratic Party vocal challenges across Chester Street toward the anti-Trump Vigil for Democracy demonstrators.  We asked his opinion of any potential business-driven municipal initiative to move the political demonstrations from the town center.

From left on September 19, Dean Peterson, Ralph Waller, flat-Trump and handler present the noon-time opposition to the anti-Trump vigil side of the street.

“Well, that’s just wrong to start with – the gazebo is the center of town and we’ve always used this for the community, that’s what it’s for.  And even if someone has something that we disagree with, I will still support their right to protest, just as I would want them to support my right to do the same,” Peterson said, adding he believed that to be “a mutual attitude” across what has become Front Royal’s weekly political divide.

Identifying that opposing, anti-Trump side as “socialists” philosophically, Peterson added, “I can’t stand socialism – people call me the most anti-socialist person they’ve ever met.  Yet, I will still stand for their right to protest, even if I disagree with them.”

United We Stand

Vigil for Democracy organizer Len Sherp was away on an extended Labor Day holiday when the downtown Business Forum initiative was brought before council on September 4.  Back for the September 12 Vigil for Democracy, the second of this season at the noon to 1 p.m. time slot, we approached him about that initiative.

Sherp and his Vigil for Democracy contingent have readjusted to their noon to 1 p.m. time slot, continuing to present a slightly different political perspective than that from across the street or at the gazebo at 4:30 p.m.

“If people say this is affecting their business, I respond I am doing business – I am doing the people’s business,” Sherp began.  “Our freedom of speech and our freedom of assembly are not meant to be pushed off to a corner.  The very nature of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly is that it should be available to the public.  This is our town square – the gazebo is the town square.  It was set aside as the public space.  So, as I said I believe we are doing the public’s business, as I believe the other side is doing their version of the public’s business.

“So, I would be unlikely under any circumstance to voluntarily move from an area that is actually designated the public commons.  As I’ve often said, this is an open forum.  And if our forum has to change to an immediate question on defending free speech and freedom of assembly, I would welcome all allies,” Sherp concluded of a potential alliance with the pro-Trump contingent on both sides’ Constitutional right to express their political opinion and be heard in that expression.

United Sherp and Waller stand in their right to publicly disagree politically.

Strange bedfellows

Sherp began his Vigil for Democracy at the Town Gazebo space on March 8, 2017 to express opposition to Donald Trump and his agenda, which to Sherp seems to be in large part self-promotion and the self-enrichment of his, his family and friends’ business interests.  Sherp often appears at his vigils supporting a one-word “emoluments” sign – emoluments being the section of the U.S. Constitution prohibiting self-profit from the office of the presidency.

Sherp questions whether the president is adhering to the section of the U.S. Constitution prohibiting self-enrichment from the office of the presidency.

Waller, Simmons, Peterson and their allies from the local political right have often reflected the national defense of President Trump – essentially that negative information about Trump or his past business dealings; Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election on behalf of Trump; possible knowledge of or collusion with that foreign agenda by Trump, his campaign team and even cabinet appointees is “fake news” disseminated by sour grapes Democrats and/or the “Deep State” that has corrupted the federal apparatus to the point that its intelligence and law enforcement agencies that are often the source of negative information about Trump can’t be trusted.

Sherp and his allies from the political “left” have reflected what is sometimes called “the loyal opposition” to those in power – at this point the Republican Party’s control of all three branches of government – the executive, legislative and judicial.

Sherp notes that the loyalty in “loyal opposition” is to America as a nation and the Constitutional system of legal accountability, checks and balances upon which the nation has been built; rather than to power itself or a cult of personality built around any individual elevated to the presidency – even one elected by a nearly negative three-million vote margin.

On March 8, 2017, at his first Vigil for Democracy Sherp said of its impetus, “The government still works for us – ‘of the people, for the people’ – and just because one Party has achieved a majority doesn’t mean they shouldn’t show the same reverence for the democratic principals and values of honesty, openness and fairness which have made us a beacon for two centuries.  This administration, in eight weeks, has shown that it doesn’t understand the rule of law; does not respect the separation of powers; and has a Republican Congress that for some reason refuses to stand up and be adult.”

And you didn’t think you’d ever see these two disparate sides threatening to join hands in mutual cause – their Constitutional right to be heard in opposition to each other.

And you thought nothing could bring these two sides together philosophically?

I’m not sure that’s a fight the Front Royal Town Council wants to take on – but I could be wrong …