By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on April 19, 2025
With signs and chants of “The people united will never be defeated” and other slogans, about 250 protestors lined the Bypass (US 158) next to Dowdy Park in Nags Head on the afternoon of Saturday, April 19.
Part of a #50501 (50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement) National Day of Action, the signs the protestors carried called attention to concerns about ICE actions and potential cuts to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. A number of signs also focused on the role Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are playing in cutting government agencies.
The issue of the current administration defying court orders was also a concern, with retired North Carolina District Court Judge George Franks (Cumberland County, District 14) telling the Voice, “I put people in jail for contempt of court for less than this. The fact that he’s ignoring federal judges and orders is a Constitutional crisis.”
The ages of the protestors seemed to range from preteens to men and women who told the Voice they had protested government actions during the Viet Nam War.
Although there were some angry horns, the revving of engines and hand gestures of disagreement, there were also signals of support from drivers as they passed the protestors.