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PHOTOS: Alexandria Democrats criticize Trump administration at annual Labor Day Picnic

By James Cullum

 

1/18

The Alexandria Democratic Committee held its annual Labor Day Picnic this afternoon, and special guest speakers called on a fierce resistance against the Republican administration of President Donald Trump.

The event featured U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins, and former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Michael Fanone, who gained national attention for his role defending the Capitol during the attack on Jan. 6, 2021. More than 100 ADC members were on-hand at The Garden Alexandria (5380 Eisenhower Avenue) to hear the speakers praise organized labor, denounce the Trump administration and endorse Democrats Abigail Spanberger for governor, Sen. Ghazala Hashmi as lieutenant governor and Jay Jones as Attorney General in the upcoming Nov. 4 general election.

Beyer called President Trump a “wannabe dictator,” and said he is the most selfish, egocentric, narcissistic, cruelest man ever elected to the presidency. He also said that the most participants at the event can do to thwart Trump’s designs on Virginia is to elect Democrats.

“Every one of us has to do everything we can to fight back to every possible way,” Beyer said. ” Figure out who you haven’t talked to in a long time. Call every friend you have, walk doors in your own neighborhood, hold a coffee, anything you can, to touch every person that you know.”

Gaskins said that Democrats must look past negative news on TV.

“We show up because we know that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, and that no one can take away their dignity or their dreams or their potential,” Gaskins said. “We show up because we are Democrats, and there is nothing that will keep us down.”

Fanone said that the administration has fired hundreds of thousands of federal workers, and that Democracy “only works when we stand shoulder-to-shoulder.”

“For me, this is personal,” Fanone said. “I nearly lost my life defending that principle. And when leaders like Abigail (Spanberger) step up, we need to step up, too. Labor Day is about work and sacrifice, so let’s do the work, knock on the doors, make the calls, have the hard conversations. Virginia is the front line, and we can’t afford to sit this one out.”

Jones will appear on Saturday (Sept. 6) at a fundraiser at Pork Barrel BBQ (2312 Mount Vernon Avenue) in Del Ray.

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.