From the article by Kay Stephens:
ROCKLAND — It’s closing in on one year since a group of Midcoast citizens started standing at Chapman Park in Rockland every Saturday from noon until 1 p.m. to protest the current U.S. presidential administration’s policies and actions.
What started off as a local, grassroots group founded by community member James Cook has mobilized into a cohesive organization called The Audacity: Creative Action Together.
While it is apparent from their signs that the protesters are against policies of the Trump Administration, many might be surprised to know that when the group originated in January 2025, it consisted of Republicans, Democrats, and politically independent voters, said Peter Jenks, an organizer of, and spokesperson for, the group. Thus, they named themselves for their willingness, despite their differences, to take creative action together (CAT).
Although the protesters hold different views on specific issues, they agree on seven core values: They oppose authoritarianism, bigotry, and corruption. They support inclusive democracy, equity, and freedom. And, they are committed to nonviolence in their actions.
Jenks said the protests include approximately 100 to 200 people a week, drawing Midcoast residents in a region stretching from Bristol to Belfast.
“We originally started meeting after Trump’s election at the Rockland Public Library,” he said. “It wasn’t just a Democratic thing; people of all political sides were frustrated.”
L. Miles, another activist and demonstrator with The Audacity: CAT moved with his partner to Rockland last June.
“I would see the group on the corner and started to regularly go every weekend,” he said. “We’ve both been pretty involved in political activism since the 2018 midterms and organizing for the Democratic party. From what I know as a historian of industrial and social change, as a concerned citizen, and also, as a member of a marginalized community, I had to go into the public square to peacefully demonstrate.”