HOLLISTER
More than 300 residents in Hollister joined others across the country Wednesday in holding a “Tax Day Tea Party” – a protest against wasteful government spending that brought out citizens from areas throughout the region and state.
Many of the protesters at the corner of Fourth and San Benito streets downtown held signs and waved American flags as they opposed the spending of tax dollars in Washington and Sacramento.
The event was put on by the Friends of the Constitution-San Benito Chapter as a non-partisan opportunity for residents to voice concerns over government spending. Marvin Jones, who leads the Friends of the Constitution group here, also is chairman of the Republican Party of San Benito County.
Jones afterward estimated there was a total of about 300 to 350 people there, with about 220 as the maximum at any one time during the two-hour event. He said the group was surprised because organizers expected 30 or 40 people to attend. Jones also noted how he had checked voter affiliations and about 20 percent of those in attendance were Democrats or had declined to start a party.
“There were so many people there that had never been out before,” said Jones, who has led the weekly gatherings at the corner of Fourth and San Benito streets to support the troops.
He contrasted opposing views – that taxes are not as high as the Tea Party protesters are contending – by pointing out that citizens are particularly concerned about the $1 trillion deficit and increasing government control.
“I think really the government control concerns people almost as much as the money,” Jones said.
Watsonville resident and protester Jim Santos said citizens are getting “bamboozled” by the abuses of tax dollars.
“We don’t agree with just being bamboozled with a lot of the things that are going on,” Santos said. “It’s like it’s one thing after another. If I had 10 signs out here, I could fill them all up on each side with things I don’t like about what’s going on.”
One of the protesters who had both an American flag and a placard was Gilroy resident Joe Cornaggia. He said he had been notified about the Hollister Tea Party about an hour before he showed up, and believes it was overdue.
“I’ve been saying there should have been another Boston Tea Party 10 years ago,” he said. “I think people are finally coming to the realization about how bad things are and they are tired of all the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.”
Another protester, Nick Munoz, said he was in Hollister because there was no Tea Party in King City, where he lives.
“I’m excited to see some grass-roots reaction to what’s going on in Washington and Sacramento. I think it’s thrilling,” he said. Munoz added that the turnout was “pretty good”
“Hollister is not a large county (and there are) a lot of exciting people, and it’s interesting to note the crowd – working folks and folks that are obviously businessmen, quite a variety of people, and I’m kind of pleased by that.”
Santos echoed a similar sentiment about the turnout for the local Tea Party.
“(The turnout) is pretty good for a small community,” he said. “This is close to home, so I’m happy to be here. Every vote is just as important here than it is in the big city.”
Though Cornaggia added, “I think there ought to be a lot more people out here.”
Editor Kollin Kosmicki contributed to this report.
