Honk If You're NOT in the Epstein Files

A solo protester connects with drivers in New England

By Giulia Norton

The allure of large protests is clear: the energy; the amusement value of witty signs; the knowledge that you’re part of a larger movement. Visibility Brigades offer the opportunity to reach tens of thousands of drivers in a short period of time while chatting with a handful of like-minded activists.

But last summer, I discovered the pleasure of solo protesting.

The news was a daily torrent. Trump was in a tizzy about near-daily disclosures regarding the Epstein files. He and his staff were doing cartwheels to distract and deflect attention.

I felt so uneasy I wanted to act. But I didn’t want to spend much of a lovely New Hampshire day driving to a Visibility Brigade. And I didn’t want to wait for the next No Kings rally.

I made a sign big enough for drivers to easily read, saying “Honk if you’re NOT in the EPSTEIN FILES.” That felt safer than a more political statement. I took it to a very busy four-way intersection, with two lanes in each direction. A small median allowed pedestrians to stop mid-way. Standing on this median allowed me to turn towards a new set of drivers at each change of the lights.

At first, I was nervous. I felt exposed and stood partly behind a street pole in case a car swerved towards me. The honking started immediately and I soon enjoyed being there.

Yes, I got a few birds. One guy put his foot on the ground and, his body safely behind his car door, shouted for me to go home. Then he drove off, satisfied, I hope, with his contribution to the discourse. If you can call it that, since I ignored him.

Occasionally, a police car would go by and I’d nod hello. And then there were the wavers.

A while back, at a Tesla protest in Oregon, this Massachusetts native saw the power of waving. It’s friendly and less didactic. Many people will wave back instead of honking. Perhaps they like literal peace and quiet.

One group of wavers stood out. Weekend traffic in New Hampshire has many tourists as evidenced by out-of-state plates. In contrast, on a Monday morning there were lots of vans with business names on the side. Owners might be hesitant to announce their support by honking; employees even more so. Therefore, when they waved it was particularly encouraging.

The vast majority of drivers – this being New Hampshire - were white. It’s surprising that I, a data analyst, have no statistics, but I can say that a healthy proportion of white men expressed support. One day, as a group of about two dozen male motorcyclists - NH has a robust biker tradition – drove by most air-fist bumped and honked.

If you choose to go solo, I have one tip. It’s hard to wave and control a large sign on a windy day, so I stapled a light slat to the back and screwed on a handle. That allows me to control the sign with one hand.

I’ve brought the sign out a few times back home in Boston. Waving my sign solo is a fun way to share a message, at my convenience, and to bolster my hope that the tide is going to turn against Epstein’s web of pedophiles and their supporters and, ultimately, Trump.

Giulia Norton is a retired health services researcher who lives in Boston. She’s currently training a new rescue puppy who will soon be on the streets protesting.

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