Protesters celebrate holiday with Wilmington Tea Party Rally

Protesting spending, socialism and big government, hundreds of people gathered at the intersection of South College Road and Oleander Drive on Saturday for a July 4th Tea Party Rally.

The protest, which was sponsored by the Wilmington Campaign for Liberty and the Cape Fear Tea Party Patriots, followed in the footsteps of tea party protests held around the country on April 15 for Tax Day.

Organizers estimated between 100 and 200 people gathered Saturday, carrying signs and waving flags.

“It’s a protest against the encroachment of government, reducing its size, going back to our Constitution,” said Cary Naramore, one of the protest’s organizers. “Independence Day is just a very good day to think about our founding fathers, to educate everybody, to educate the masses to the voice of dissent against the rush to socialism.”

Others at the protest echoed Naramore’s sentiments, citing different aspects of government but above all the need for education.

“This is a long time coming,” fellow organizer Jennifer Bias said. “We’ve basically been fighting since 1913 when the Federal Reserve took power. We have Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians out here for the same reason. Government is becoming this monstrosity, becoming less and less free. Unless people wake up to this, there will be no relief.”

While many of the protestors carried homemade signs with various slogans, Frank Nichols took it one step farther, coming in full costume.

“People ask that (what the costume is) all the time, who am I supposed to be,” Nichols said. “I’m Paul Revere. I’m getting the word out. I want people to understand where we came from and where we’re heading, down the road to socialism. If you have $1 in your pocket, you can’t spend 100.”

Bob Burke said he was worried about government establishing new policies before fixing current ones, citing the push for a national health care system before fixing Medicare and Medicaid.

“I’m not opposed to programs that are told in advance with price tags. But if you can’t fix what we have now, why put new things in?” Burke said. “I’m a veteran, and I’d go back in if they’d take me. That’s what this country used to be about.

‘I just want people to know what they’re doing. There’s no one you can put in office that won’t make a mistake. Just be up front about it.”

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