{"id":38419,"date":"2025-02-01T05:34:27","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T10:34:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/200-march-for-community-veterans-and-education-in-rapid-city\/"},"modified":"2025-02-01T05:34:30","modified_gmt":"2025-02-01T10:34:30","slug":"200-march-for-community-veterans-and-education-in-rapid-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/200-march-for-community-veterans-and-education-in-rapid-city\/","title":{"rendered":"200 march for community, veterans, and education in Rapid City"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span><\/div>
\"Salyiah<\/a><\/p>\n

Salyiah Terry, concerned citizen. (Photo by Marnie Cook)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

RAPID CITY \u2013 Despite the cold weather on January 25, with temperatures just above freezing, the March for Democracy proceeded as planned. Previously post\u00adponed due to snow and sub\u00adzero temperatures, around 200 people participated, showing their dedication to democracy.<\/p>\n

Attendees, bundled in warm clothing, gathered at Memorial Park\u2019s bandshell to listen to organizers before starting their walk. Many carried hand-made signs ad\u00addressing issues such as vac\u00adcine availability, LGBTQ rights, Roe v. Wade, sepa\u00adration of church and state, Alzheimer\u2019s research, ed\u00aducation, science, equality, justice, sensible gun laws, veterans\u2019 support, planetary health, and human rights. They expressed concern for democracy and opposition to hatred.<\/p>\n

The march was organized by a private group of indi\u00adviduals who care about the community and the Con\u00adstitution. It was well-orga\u00adnized with guest speakers.<\/p>\n

Rapid City resident Donna Robinson was first to speak. Addressing the crowd on a small mobile sound system, she said it\u2019s time to speak out. \u201cWe must recognize the truth, and it must be told, not because we will be successful. We may or may not be and may not be as quickly as we wish. We can not stay silent. We are a small community, but we are a strong community. We need to make good trouble,\u201d said Robinson. Robinson used a famous quote from the late representative John Lewis about making \u201cgood trouble\u201d coined during the height of the Civil Rights movement to peacefully confront and challenge un\u00adjust systems. \u201cThis is what a real democracy looks like,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Next to speak was Rapid City resident Suzan Nolan. \u201cWe all march for different reasons. But we march for the same cause, to defend our rights and our future. If you believe the decisions about your body should remain yours, that books belong in libraries not bon\u00adfires, that wealth is a right for the wealthy not a priv\u00adilege, if you believe in the power of free speech and protest to sustain democra\u00adcy or if you want an econ\u00adomy that works for the peo\u00adple who power it, then this march is for you.\u201d <\/p>\n

Rapid City resident Dor\u00adothy Brewick, address\u00ading the crowd, said she didn\u2019t like having to be at a march on such a brutal\u00adly cold Saturday morning. \u201cBut we have to be here. We are like-minded peo\u00adple gathered together, and we are here to,\u201d she paused and speaking slowly said, \u201cstand up and speak up.\u201d These words she repeated throughout her speech as a call and response with the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than 55 years ago, the first official moratorium to end fighting in Vietnam march, took place all over America.\u201d Brewick is ref\u00aderencing what is considered to be the largest anti-war demonstrations in American history \u2013 the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam, which was a large-scale protest, with millions of people participating in marches, rallies, and teach-ins to demand the end to the conflict. It\u2019s estimated that more than two million people took part in the Oc\u00adtober 15, 1969, rally.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of you may remember that day. The seeds of that event were planted in an unsuccessful presidential campaign of Eugene McCarthy.\u201d She remembered the effort to bring sons home from the war and how it grew. \u201cIt moved from college campuses to the main streets of thousands of communi\u00adties all over America. Over 15 million people of all ages, races, faiths, and political parties had had enough. It was time to,\u201d again she paused and again the crowd joined her to say, \u201cstand up and speak up. I was one of those people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the last 55 years we have come together again and again. In doing so, we have learned an important lesson; when the sit\u00aduation requires action, we must stand up. That\u2019s why we are here today whether if it\u2019s education, climate change, gay rights, women rights or immigrants. Maybe it\u2019s birth right citizenship, lawfare tac\u00adtics, an independent justice system or defending democracy abroad. Whatever brought you here today, we must,\u201d Brewick paused, and on cue, having energized the crowd who joined with her saying, \u201cstand up and speak up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether it\u2019s childcare, health\u00adcare or the murdering of Indige\u00adnous women, it does not matter what your passion is, what matters is that we come together. That we support each other. So today, to\u00adgether, we are going to stand up and speak. We must not stay si\u00adlent. Our voices must be heard. When the country needs us we will stand and speak up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Invigorated, marchers set out to walk to the veterans memorial to hear the first guest speaker.<\/p>\n

Rapid City resident Salyiah Ter\u00adry told Native Sun News Today why she came. \u201cI\u2019m here because there is so much division still in the country especially in the last few days with current events. I just want to show that we are all together, we\u2019re all one. We all have our own concerns about what is going on and we are all in this country together. I want to see our country thrive, but I want to see everybody have a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many carried signs in support of continued government funding for South Dakota Public Broad\u00adcasting (SDPB) as a proposed cut looms over the not-for-profit pub\u00adlic service broadcasting organi\u00adzation. Outgoing Governor Kristi Noem last month proposed cut\u00adting SDPB\u2019s funding by $3.5 mil\u00adlion dollars saying that it gets too much money per capita than other broadcasting outlets. State law\u00admakers held the first of two public hearings on the state funding. The next is scheduled for February 7<\/p>\n

\u201cI am so impressed at the peo\u00adple who came today in the cold weather,\u201d said Hill City resident Susan Shierbeck. \u201cWe have got to stand up, people. We\u2019ve got chaos happening again and please open your eyes and try to see it.\u201d Shier\u00adbeck said that so many people are stressed with just the day-to-day living \u2013 getting kids to school, get\u00adting the groceries, paying the bills \u2013 just trying to take care of every\u00adday life that they aren\u2019t listening to the news and instead are listen\u00ading to entertainment. \u201cIf everyone would just expand their sources of their information, I don\u2019t see how anyone could not understand what is going on right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The crowd gathered at the Black Hills Veterans Monument where John Tsitrian, co-publisher and editor of the South Dakota Stan\u00addard, addressed issues concerning veterans. Tsitrian, who served as a Marine for 18 months in Vietnam, stated, \u201cWhile I was there, I decid\u00aded that this is so much nonsense that I\u2019m going to dedicate the rest of my life, if I ever have a public voice, to calling things as I see them.\u201d He affirmed his continued adherence to this principle.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I want to talk to you about today though, is not direct\u00adly affecting veterans per se but impacting all veterans enrolled in the VA (Veterans Administration) health system. There is an insidi\u00adous movement to privatize the VA healthcare system. Now that the Trump Administration has taken over, I believe this will accelerate.\u201d This movement, he explained, in\u00advolves providing veterans with ac\u00adcess to community healthcare out\u00adside of the VA system. \u201cAlthough this may seem beneficial at first glance, it could potentially deplete the VA\u2019s resources and result in veterans being dispersed into the general community without spe\u00adcialized and coordinated care.\u201d <\/p>\n

Tsitrian emphasized that this shift could fundamentally alter the nature of veterans\u2019 healthcare, moving away from dedicated VA services toward a generalized ap\u00adproach within community health\u00adcare systems.<\/p>\n

Tsitrian said that in 2019 the VA spent 13 million dollars on com\u00admunity healthcare meaning the VA paid for veterans to get healthcare within their respective communi\u00adties. \u201cIn 2024 they spent 26 mil\u00adlion. So, it doubled. That is com\u00ading out of the VA budget which last year was $125 billion dollars. You are talking about some pretty substantial numbers that are being drawn from the VA and given to the private sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schools and universities have been concerned about a pause in funding at least until mid-Febru\u00adary while the government investi\u00adgates whether programs align with Trump\u2019s policy priorities. As the march continued around the park, speakers included teacher Hey\u00adwood Robinson who spoke about the price of ignorance. \u201cEducation is the most sacred trust that a com\u00admunity can give to its future.\u201d He said classrooms are already poorly heated in winter and too hot in the summer. The buildings in such a state of disrepair it would be bet\u00adter to rebuild. He said the voucher system, which has been promot\u00aded across South Dakota, has si\u00adphoned already sparse funds from the public and put it into the hands of corporate education companies. \u201cIt should be obvious that systems that are for profit are not as cheap as systems that are not for profit.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the march came to a close, participants felt a renewed sense of unity and determination. The speakers\u2019 passionate appeals res\u00adonated deeply with the crowd, highlighting the importance of community action and informed advocacy. Amidst the myriad of challenges faced by veterans, ed\u00aducators, and everyday citizens, the march served as a powerful reminder that collective effort and awareness can drive mean\u00adingful change. The call to remain vigilant and engaged in the dem\u00adocratic process echoed as march\u00aders dispersed, carrying with them a shared commitment to stand up, speak out, and make their voices heard.<\/p>\n

(Contact Marnie Cook at cookm8715@gmail.com<\/a>)<\/span> <\/p>\n

The post 200 march for community, veterans, and education in Rapid City<\/a> first appeared on Native Sun News Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Visit Original Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span><\/div>

Salyiah Terry, concerned citizen. (Photo by Marnie Cook) RAPID CITY \u2013 Despite the cold weather on January 25, with temperatures just above freezing, the March for Democracy proceeded as planned. Previously post\u00adponed due to snow and sub\u00adzero temperatures, around 200 people participated, showing their dedication to democracy. Attendees, bundled in <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a>
Shared by Native Sun News Today<\/a> February 1, 2025<\/p>\n

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