Hands Off Beverly

09/03/2026

From Andreas:

Bring Your Family or Friends to Protest Day.

Hello Friends:

As always, thank you to all 156 people who stood with us last Saturday. Great weather, great protest and great patriots who refuse to give up on America.

In my 46 years in America I have never seen America this weak, so vulnerable, so divided and so loathed not only by our enemies but by our allies. And I have never seen it in such dire financial straits. Trump and every Republican president before him have preached fiscal discipline and then were responsible for rocketing the US budget deficit to new heights.

The idea was always to cut taxes (mainly for the rich and corporations), reduce social services in response and increase spending on defense. Sprinkle in wars of choice (never to protect the United States: Vietnam, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Iraq, Venezuela, Iran just to name a few and in the future possibly Cuba and Greenland) with nothing in return (but massive human loss and suffering) and then blame Democrats for the financial problems created by the Republican leadership. However, as we know the second Trump administration has supercharged this insanity and accelerated America's downward spiral by letting our national debt grow to over $40 trillion (of course Trump promised the opposite).

This is being made worse by deporting hard working immigrants who pay taxes and social security. Any other country or corporation would be out of business. Every other CEO would have been fired together with his executive team. We must find a way to fire our CEO and Executive Team if we want to prevent bankrupting the USA in our lifetime.

I know many of us are not spring chickens anymore but we are not too old to see America become insolvent in our time unless we take action now. If we continue to spend more money on ballrooms, arches, reflecting pools, ICE, the National Guard occupying peaceful cities, wars of choice, defense spending and deporting taxpayers, the only way to save us from bankruptcy will be cutting even more social services such as Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare. Personally I would call this a disaster for everybody but the ultra rich.

We are closing in on the first half of Trump's presidency if we ignore his many comments about running again for a third time, of course illegally like most of his policies. However, I would not discount it. Let's not forget that he is a convicted felon who tried to overthrow a fair election by inciting an insurgency on January 6.

I know that you know all about this already and are mad and outraged as hell. When starting this whole thing 19 months ago I would print flyers and list all the crazy things that happened almost immediately after Trump took office in the hopes that it would inspire you to join our protests. Then with every week passing and more and more crazy moves by Trump I would write something like "If this will not get you mad enough to stand up with us and say stop it what will?" Rather quickly our numbers rose to well over 100 for every standout (for well over a year now), rain or shine, bitter cold or snow. As far as I know HANDS OFF BEVERLY has the largest numbers of protesters week after week at least on the North Shore and for that I will be forever grateful and proud.

However our private page has over 1,800 members and our email list over 1,000. On national days of protest our numbers are in the thousands. We all know friends, family members, and acquaintances who completely agree with us and often even thank us for doing what we are doing on Wednesdays and/or Saturdays but they don't come. They are as angry and frustrated and worried as we are but they don't join us. I understand that driving to the protest takes time out of our day. I understand that some people simply cannot join for perfectly good reasons and that of course is fine. But how about the people who can but for whom it is too inconvenient. There is no rule to stay for the whole hour or come every time 😜. Or maybe they don't come because they think that our protests make no difference. I respectfully disagree. When Viktor Orbán fell it was because the people had enough and rose up with millions protesting in the streets. When he lost the election which he tried to rig, he didn't even try to claim victory. He quietly disappeared. Donald Trump, his administration and many Republicans in Congress will try everything they can to rig the elections to stay in power. Why wait to show them that we will not put up with that? Why not show the numbers that will not put up with it now? In my mind there is no time to lose. We need all hands on deck now!!!

This ia a very long way of asking to see if you can ask and inspire a family member, a friend or a neighbor to join you and help us to grow our numbers now. Let's make this Saturday our first official “Bring Your Family or Friends to Protest Day.” Maybe offer to drive them. Don't try to shame them. Ask them to help you. We have been doing the business cards, the yard signs, the buttons and the door hanger campaigns all in an effort to increase our numbers. Now we are two months away from the midterms. The time to show up and be part of the resistance to this apocalyptic government is now.

There are no true guarantees in life but who wants to be told "you didn't even try" or on a more positive note "we did it but not thanks to you”! Forgive me if I sound too pushy but there is just too much at stake to worry about being too pushy for the right thing.

With gratitude always,

Andreas

08/30/2026

08/28/2026

From Andreas:

THANK YOU DOLLY PARTON! - THE ART OF THE DEAL; NOT!

Dear Fellow Protesters:

Thank you to all 131 protesters who showed up last Saturday. It never fails to put a smile on my face when the first of you arrive right around 11:00 AM and then more and more join from all directions every week. Amazing!

Yesterday the great Dolly Parton died at the age of 80. Growing up in the 60s and 70s, my taste for music was more Stones, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Roxy Music and along those lines. In my mind the more rebellious and subversive type of music the better with country music "not being cool enough". Today I listened to Fresh Air (WBUR/NPR) with Terry Gross as I do often and of course Dolly Parton was on Terry's mind. She replayed an old episode from 2001 when she had Dolly Parton on the air promoting her latest album "Little Sparrow". At that time I was in my car on sales calls and actually listened to that very episode. I remember it clearly because knowing nothing about her other than what everyone knew (Dollywood, big hair, big lips, big ... and a superstar) I loved the interview and the way Dolly was talking with so much candor and humor. I also bought her album that evening on iTunes for my iPod. It turned out that Dolly was probably one of the coolest, kindest, graceful, down to earth and most interesting people I had ever heard interviewed. One of the things she said was something like "Had I not been born a woman I would have probably ended up being a drag queen." A person born into poverty in the Appalachian mountains became one of the greatest superstars. But unlike most superstars she was so much more. A great philanthropist! There are simply too many great acts of generosity and kindness to mention here. Of all the impressive things Dolly has achieved in her life it is her gift to bring seemingly irreconcilable differences together. She was clearly a very religious woman for whom faith was essential. She was vocal in her support of the gay and LGBTQ communities. She actively advocated for AIDS research when the government didn't do a thing. In April 2020 she donated $ 1,000,000 to fund early coronavirus research which directly aided in the creation of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. She truly lived her religion and was fearless in promoting goodness regardless of what other Christians had to say about the same issues. At a time where the religious right and the Trump administration are trying to weaponize faith it is especially sad to be without her. We could use so many more of her in these dangerous times. Dolly Parton, you will be missed. Rest in Peace and thank you for all you did.

I also want to talk about the Trump tariffs which the Supreme Court deemed illegal. When they first got implemented many of my client companies importing goods were in shock and wondered how to survive. Ultimately they increased their prices to their customers and so on down to the person (like you and me) buying products in stores and online. Like Kamala Harris correctly said, import tariffs are a tax on the American people. Then the Supreme Court ruled these tariffs illegal and ordered the government to pay them back to the importers. My company facilitated the reimbursement of these tariffs to many of our customers for a fee and a percentage of the recovered amount. The end result was this:

- The government had to pay back over $ 100,000,000,000 it had collected from importers. This was supposedly money to fund government services or maybe pay some of the tax revenue lost as a result of the big ugly bill that gave trillions to corporations and the ultra rich.

- The importers had already recovered a good chunk of the imposed tariffs by increasing their prices. So now that they were getting their money back it was a wonderful windfall for them. Whether they love or hate Trump, they all appreciated the extra money that they had not budgeted for. Many of my customers got millions of dollars and some tens of millions.

- My company and the rest of my industry also made an unexpected windfall in profits as we took our percentage of recovered funds we arranged for our import customers. I should be getting a nice commission check soon so even I am getting a windfall of unexpected money.

- The people who are not making a windfall are the consumers who bought the goods with the tariffs built in from stores and online. They (us) will not see a penny but will continue to buy at higher prices. Did anybody say inflation? This is Donald Trump's art of the deal. Lose the money for the government (the people/our money), transfer it to the corporations and leave the rest of us in the dust. Is it any wonder that so many corporations like Trump?

As always there is no shortage of reasons for trying to stop this madman, his administration and the gutless Republicans in Congress. So let's meet again to show each other and the world that we are not going away until he does and they do. I hope to see many of you this coming Saturday. Thank you as always.

With gratitude,

Andreas

08/22/2026

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcTxV-WFGYr/?igsi=eG4xNHJhZGVxeHd2

08/20/2026

This could get interesting:

Donald Trump's Justice Department took a major step toward subverting elections this fall.

08/20/2026

From Andreas:

A Reminder of What We Are Dealing With

Hello Friends:

After two weeks away, it was great to see 152 of you last Saturday. Thank you so much for joining.

I may have mentioned before that my profession is International Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage. I have been doing this since 1978, when I started as an apprentice in Hamburg. We are the people who arrange ocean and air freight shipments around the world, including imports into the US. In 1993 I came back to Boston to join a former colleague who had started his own business, and I became his partner. One of my main jobs was building out our worldwide network of agents and bringing in new business. My partner and I had a great run and sold the business in 2011 to a multinational company that closely aligned with our values, despite their size, in recognizing employees as the real recipe for sustainable success. That meant I was able to hold on to many of my clients, some of whom I have had since the 90s. Most of these companies are midsize private businesses, and I work primarily with the owners. Just like everywhere else, some of them are MAGA, despite the fact that Trump's policies are hurting their businesses.

One of these MAGA owners, whose import business I have handled since 1995, emailed me yesterday wanting to know the latest duty rates various countries are charging him on the products he imports. What's the rate from India compared to Malaysia, and so on. This is a man whose business has imported goods from foreign countries for over 30 years, who has paid duties on those goods to US Customs for all that time, and he made the Freudian slip of suggesting that the countries he imports from are the ones charging the tariffs. Let that sink in. He knows exactly who is responsible for the confusion and the added cost in the import world, but he talks as if it's not Trump doing it, it's foreign countries. That's the power of a cult. You cannot bring yourself to blame the cult leader even when you know damn well it's him.

It's a reminder of what we're up against, and exactly why how we show up matters. I want to give a shout out to all of you for staying peaceful and joyful at our protests, even when provoked by counter-protesters or others who can't control their anger. I truly believe this is our power. Reacting with anger, or even trying to reason with unreasonable people, will never get us where we're trying to go. Trump and company paint us as paid, crazy, violent Democrats who want to destroy the country. We prove them wrong every time we show up peacefully together. Let's not take the bait, even when it isn't easy. That's our power.

Except for that super hot and humid protest a couple of weeks ago, the weather has been kind to us these past several months. This Saturday looks less certain, with a chance of showers, but temps should still be in the 70s. Maybe bring rain gear just in case, and borrow one of our waterproof signs if yours isn't up to it. We made it through the bitter cold and snow in February, so what's a little rain? 😁

I hope you can make it. Looking forward to seeing you Saturday.

With gratitude,
Andreas

08/13/2026

From Andreas:

Girls Gone Bible at the Cabot; Why?

Hello Fellow Protesters and Friends of Democracy:

While away on vacation I heard that despite the heat advisory, still over 100 people assembled last Saturday to protest against everything Trump. Thank you!

Someone on this email list wrote to me for the first time asking me if I had heard about "Girls Gone Bible" and pointed out that they will appear at The Cabot here in Beverly today (Thursday) at 7:00 pm. She also pointed out that "they led a vile prayer at Trump’s pre-inauguration rally." I had not heard of them and really knew nothing about them so I googled this speech/prayer which you can see here: https://youtu.be/5VuxmWUoHzE?si=cKQSkz0ZtDODANs1

I understand that a theatre will attempt to stay neutral and apolitical. However, I must admit that I am surprised and confused about this choice by The Cabot Theatre and truly don't understand their decision in regards to this performance. I always considered it a special privilege to live in a city with such a great venue. I have seen countless shows there and been to many functions. I have no problem at all with people's religion as long as it doesn't lead to violence or discrimination. However with Trump in office for over a year and a half demonstrating only cruelty, hate, vengefulness, corruption, and incompetence, I am baffled to learn that this group will perform at the Cabot here in Beverly. We clearly know that Trump's religion is performative only and meant to attract the religious right. Glimpsing at a few podcasts of the Girls Gone Bible I cannot help thinking that their love of religion is performative as well meant to sell clicks and make money. I am looking forward to hearing your take on this.

I spent the last 10 days with my wife and kids and did not listen to the radio or checked my feeds from The New York Times and The Atlantic. I pretty much stayed completely ignorant. I of course knew that terrible things were going to continue happening but spending time without the constant barrage of bad news was a real treat. After over one and a half years I had almost forgotten how life without the Trump and MAGA insanity can feel like. Helped me to sleep better too.

We finally have received more HANDS OFF BEVERLY yard signs and will bring them this Saturday. We will place them in the park and please feel free to take one home. Our actions matter and this includes signs in our yards or windows. We gave away over 100 of them last year and I am excited to see even more of them around town and elsewhere soon.

Now that my peaceful vacation is over, I am rested and I look forward to showing up at the next protest on Saturday (O’Dell Park 11AM-noon) and seeing everybody again.

With gratitude,

Andreas

President-elect Donald Trump holds his final rally at Capitol One A...

08/06/2026

From Andreas:

Week 76: We Call BS*

Dear Friends:

I couldn't be at the last protest but heard that 133 people showed up, and I want to thank all of them. I was also told that the moment of silence at 11:30 am went off without a hitch. I love the signs Anne made for it (attached). Thank you! Susan tells me that cars passing by still may not have noticed our action in time, but I think that's fine. Over 20 people have now died in ICE custody, with the most recent death just a few days ago. A moment of silence would be appropriate every single day, multiple times, considering the toll the Trump administration has taken in the US and around the world. I think we made the right decision.

Two brave Republican Senators, John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, threatened not to confirm Todd Blanche as Attorney General. Since neither is up for re-election, maybe it wasn't all that brave, but should we give them credit for showing a tiny little bit of a spine? Nope! The reason they are now okay with Blanche is that he signed a document saying he will drop Trump's $1.8 billion slush fund to pay off supporters. That agreement does nothing to stop Trump's family and businesses from being pre-pardoned for any tax fraud, should it ever be proven. And since it was Todd Blanche who worked out the deal in the first place, he should be forbidden to practice law anywhere in the country. Bottom line: there is no need to differentiate between any Republicans in the House or the Senate. They are all spineless, corrupt, and responsible for the downward spiral the US is in!!! No, I don't count the stock market as a win, since its rise was paid for with our tax dollars.

Would you believe it, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool did not turn into a swamp because of vandals? What a surprise! Did anybody, even the most ardent and least educated of Trump's fanboys and gals, believe that crap when Trump came up with it? Incredibly, I suppose so 😢. However, showing a real spine, Washington U.S. attorney Jeanine Pirro, a longtime ally of Donald Trump's, concluded in a court filing that the damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism. That installation had been awarded by the Trump administration in a no-bid contract to a friend of Trump's. Pirro's filing also made clear that the Interior Department withheld key evidence from prosecutors for months. Basically, the Trump administration lied again, at a point when any other administration would have known the lie was too much BS to get away with. Which of course it was, and everybody, almost, knew it.

The war with Iran? Who knows? I can't even believe that anybody still listens to anything Trump or his administration says about it. It has always been BS.

Bottom line: Bu****it is always bu****it, no matter how much lipstick you apply to it.

HANDS OFF BEVERLY doesn't do bu****it. We call it out every time we see it, and we have done so for 76 protests in a row. That is no bu****it!

I am off with my family this week and will miss the protest on Saturday again, but I am comforted knowing that a strong group of people will show up again to call out the BS from the White House. Be peaceful, safe and joyful, and see you on Saturday, August 15, 2026 at 11AM-12PM.

With gratitude,

Andreas

*The title borrows from Emma Gonzalez, survivor of the 2018 Parkland school shooting who became a leading gun violence activist. Days after the shooting, she stood before a crowd and repeated "We call BS" against the politicians and the NRA, a line that helped launch the March for Our Lives movement.

07/30/2026

From Andreas:

Moment of Silence; Flock Cameras; A helpful tool or threat to our privacy?

Hello Fellow Protesters and Defenders of Democracy and Haters of Cruelty:

Last Saturday we had 163 people join us and I thank you all for coming. Perfect people and perfect weather made for a great hour of community and protest.

The overwhelming majority of people came out in favor of having a regular weekly moment of silence on Saturdays to remember and honor all who have suffered directly or indirectly from Trump's insane policies. So, we intend to start this Saturday. To do this from now on we are asking to proceed as follows:

Immediately before the moment of silence, as he has done before, Jim will play "Ohio" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Once the song ends we will put down our signs, and we suggest we put our hand over our hearts and hold our heads low.
One of our regular protesters and protest sign maker extraordinaire, Anne Bowen has graciously offered to make four signs saying: "MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR ALL TRUMP VICTIMS". Thank you so much Anne!
We will ask four people to stand at the four corners of our protest to hold these up to signal our action to passing cars. We hope that this, combined with the demeanor of the protesters, will communicate what we are doing.
Once the minute is over Jim will start the music again.
Doing this in the middle of our protests, rather than at the end as some folks have suggested, allows us to still end the hour with the upbeat energy as we always do. This energy is what gets many of us through the week of bad news from the government. We don’t want to lose that.
I will be absent this Saturday and the one after because of a wedding and then a family vacation. Another regular protester, Rolly (the man with the Trump statue in a straight jacket and a Hi**er mustache) has offered to bring all the signs and related stuff that I usually bring in my truck. Thank you so much Rolly. And Susan will bring the other stuff such as cowbells, sign up sheets, cooler and the stickers and buttons. Thank you so much Susan!

I know I said it before but I think it is worth mentioning it again. We really have grown into an amazing community with so many people being ready to not just show up but to help out with whatever they can. I am truly so thankful for this group.

I was thinking of what crazy Trump administration thing to write about this week and these items came immediately to mind:

The war with Iran
Senate Confirmation hearing of Todd Blanche, Trump’s personal lawyer pretending he would work for the people of America
Cancelling the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Haitians and thousands of Syrians
Rand Paul dragging Dr. Fauci in front of his committee to settle a personal score
Trump's embarrassing performance at the Whitehouse Correspondents Dinner and so on.
But one brief conversation stuck out. In talking to Susan she told me about a story about Flock cameras. If you are not familiar with them they are called Automated License Plate Readers or ALPRs and are installed all over the country including four in Beverly. They are liked by local police departments because they can track license plates not just in Beverly but in any other place where they are installed. And this is in fact the problem. Here is what it says right when you go on their website:

“Most LPR systems give you a plate read. Flock gives investigators a lead they can actually close. 49-state network, vehicle attribute matching, and full audit accountability, all in one platform.

It is obvious how this can be helpful to law enforcement looking for stolen vehicles, criminals and people of interest etc. The problem is that living under a government as we do right now, who decides who a person of interest is? Who controls the data these cameras collect and who gets access? For example: last year, Texas deputies queried Flock Safety's surveillance data in an “death investigation of non-viable fetus” where a woman was accused of a self-administered abortion, contradicting the narrative promoted by Flock Safety and the Johnson County Sheriff that she was being searched for a missing person and that it was about her safety. This story has been in the news recently — you can read more about it here: https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/texas-sheriff-surveillance-abortion-case-1811394.

The Johnson County Sheriff checked the data from 83,000 cameras across state lines including Washington and Illinois where such searches are against the law. Currently there are no real guidelines for its use and no guardrails as to how and by whom these cameras can be used and for what purpose.

I went to a city council meeting in which citizens asked for the removal of the four cameras in Beverly. It was suggested to use a different vendor who would provide the same services but with clear guidelines as to who can access the data for which purpose and with whom it can be shared. So far a decision has not been made and Beverly's contract with Flock Safety has not been extended but also not cancelled. However Salem, Framingham and Cambridge have all canceled their contracts with Flock already. If these communities can do it, so can we in Beverly.

With Trump wanting to control every aspect of our society, how we think, what is right and what is wrong, I am sure a surveillance state is a dream for him and Flock Safety would be a great tool toward this end. I think it is important for us to know about it and to resist it whenever and wherever we can. Just like AI, Flock Safety in the right hands and with enforceable guardrails and solid laws around it could be a wonderful tool. On the other hand it could be the perfect tool for people with bad intentions to check our every move without a warrant or reasonable cause. Let's all pay attention to this and encourage our leaders to cancel that contract and find an alternative.

I will be with you in spirit these next two Saturdays and look forward to seeing everyone again on Saturday, August 15. Be safe, alert, and enjoy the summer.

With gratitude,

Andreas

P.S.: There is a MA-06 Candidate Forum in Beverly on Wednesday 08/05/26

If you have not made up your mind for whom to vote to replace Seth Moulton (all candidates have been to at least one of our protests), the email I just received from the Beverly Democratic City Committee may be of interest to you. Here is what it says:

WHEN: 8/05/26 at 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
WHERE: Hastings House, 14 Oak St., Beverly Farms, MA
Doors open at 5:30 PM. Carpooling recommended.

Join neighbors from in and around Beverly after Lobsterfest for a Democratic Primary Congressional Forum hosted at Hastings House in Beverly Farms!

The forum will be moderated by The Boston Globe's Kelly Garrity, author of the daily politics newsletter "The Scrum."
Kelly Garrity joined the Globe in March 2026 covering politics and government. She previously wrote Politico’s Massachusetts Playbook newsletter, reporting on state, local and regional politics. Before that, she covered national politics at Politico reporting on a range of topics including Donald Trump’s indictments and trials and the 2024 presidential election. She graduated from Northeastern University in 2022 with a degree in political science.

All 6 candidates will be participating:
John Beccia
Bethany Andres-Beck
Jamie Belsito
Dan Koh
Mariah Lancaster
Tram Nguyen

BevCam will be there to record and post on their YouTube channel as well. All are welcome! Spread the word!

A Texas sheriff's office used over 83,000 ALPR cameras to track a woman post-abortion, sparking federal scrutiny, state legislation, and charges against the sheriff. The case highlights surveillance and reproductive rights issues.