Thousands of trucks across the country rolled out recently to take part in the People’s Convoy. Convoys of trucks stretching for seventy miles arrived in Maryland, including a trailer of supplies that came from the Rochester area.
American truckers launched a transcontinental movement, which began in California on February 23, and which joined with dozens of other convoys from various regions of the country and ended in Hagerstown, Maryland.
According to the mission statement of the convoy: “The truckers are riding unified across state lines, party lines with people of all colors and creeds. The convoy is a nonpartisan trucker-led effort supported by all walks of life including moms, dads, students, medical workers, investors, teachers, rail workers, pilots and more. The message of the convoy is the last 24 months of the pandemic have been rough for all Americans emotionally, spiritually, physically, and financially. With the advent of therapeutics and vaccines and the hard work of so many sectors that helped drastically reduce COVID-19 cases and severity of the illness it is now time to reopen the country. It is time for elected officials to work with American citizens to restore liberty by lifting all mandates and ending the state of emergency so that all Americans can get back to work and their educational opportunities in an unrestricted manor.”
New York State residents joined the Peoples Convoy with several convoys coordinated from across the state. The Rochester area was selected to be a hub to collect supplies for the truckers. Aileen Dean, a North Chili resident and a mom to children that she adopted from Russia, was excited to support this movement. Aileen said her passion was ignited when her adult daughter emotionally shared how the ongoing mandates made her feel terribly similar to the days when she lived under the Russian government.
Adding to Aileen’s desire to do something is when she saw what the Canadian Convoy was doing. Aileen’s grandfather is from Canada, and she still has family living there. She wished somehow she could help. Then she heard about the People’s Convoy in the United States and responded to a call for help in this area. She reached out to the state coordinator for the convoy, and in a matter of days Aileen was appointed supply chain coordinator for Western New York. “I felt called to do this, to help. I felt moved to connect local people, who want to help this movement but cannot participate in the convoy,” said Aileen.
Within a week, businesses in the community were on board to be drop locations for convoy supply donations. Aileen then coordinated a group of volunteers, who were designated runners picking up the donations at the businesses and delivering them to the warehouse in Gates, where they were sorted and organized in boxes. Within two weeks the residents of the community filled a warehouse with donations for the truckers. In addition to necessities, local children wrote notes to the truckers and made goody bags for them. The boxes, children’s notes and goody bags were then loaded on a trailer and brought to Maryland to support the national convoy truckers. There were enough staples to feed the community, including providing food to the homeless in the DC area. “So many of us have felt isolated and alone the past two years until we did this. In this movement of volunteers, those of us who were once strangers came together to support the People’s Convoy, and now have become friends and we have become community again,” said Aileen.
Chris and Eileen Fichter were designated runners for the westside. They learned about the convoy and the local call for help through a Facebook event. They reached out to Aileen and volunteered to pick up the donated supplies from area businesses on the westside. Drop locations throughout the multi-county area included Kendall, Spencerport, Brockport, and Greece. “The donations from the westside community are astonishing,” said the Fichters. The couple filled up their Ford Explorer daily during the two week collection period. “We were so surprised at the amount of donations we picked up ranging from beef jerky, water, warm socks and nearly everything you would need to camp in the winter,” said Eileen. “Russo’s Pizza in Greece was one of the busiest drop locations we went to,” said Chris. “A few times we had to make two trips in one day there because we ran out of room in our truck.”
Christopher Zoccali, PhD, an Ogden resident and a professor at a local university, was a contributor to the collection drive. He helped by donating food items to a business in Spencerport that was accepting items for the convoy. As soon as he heard about the opportunity where he could locally support the People’s Convoy, he wanted to help. “The COVID-19 ‘vaccines’ do not prevent transmission or infection of the virus. There is, then, no ethical or even pragmatic justification for mandates. To coerce the injection of any drugs on a population, let alone potentially dangerous ones, is nothing short of a crime against humanity, as clearly affirmed in the Nuremberg Code. Opposition to the abuse of power and violation of human dignity is a moral obligation. Thus, as a Christian and a scholar, I am compelled by both conscience and reason to stand with the peaceful resistance. Compliance with tyranny at the expense of others is simply not an option,” said Zoccali.
Amy Buchel, a Brockport resident, helped collect supplies for the Convoy. She attended the Rochester roll out rally on March 2 and then drove down to the People’s Convoy Rally in Maryland. “When I heard what the truckers were doing, I felt the need to show them my support and appreciation for their willingness to sacrifice for our freedoms. If they are willing to make this kind of sacrifice, the least I can do is support them,” said Amy.
Gates resident “Pat” Kevin Burke, Sr. is a 96-year old Navy veteran who served on a ship in the South Pacific during WWII. Despite being fully vaccinated, Burke supports the People’s Convoy movement and attended the local rally on March 2. “Thousands of soldiers lost their military careers and income due to these mandates. They should be reinstated and given back pay,” said Burke. “This is America and we should have our freedom of choice on what medications we stick in our body,” he added.
Twenty-year Army combat veteran, Tony Clayberger, also reached out to Aileen to see how he could locally support the People’s Convoy. With his military experience he was asked to lead the roll out of the Rochester convoy bringing the supplies and area truckers to connect with larger convoys from the New York State. Tony had attended the Rainbow Bridge rally in January, supporting the Canadians in their protest, which was also led by truckers. While he was there he had witnessed the attempt of some who were trying to create trouble. “They were attempting to instigate trouble by heckling the people leading prayer and at the event speakers. I felt there was potential that there could be some people attending the rollout or overpasses who might not have the best interest at heart,” said Clayberger.
Aileen the local coordinator said, “The enthusiasm and love was incredible. Nearly every overpass from here to Pennsylvania was covered in people with flags cheering us on. “In rural areas south of Rochester, local farmers lined overpasses with their tractors and American flags. Fire departments, local police agencies, families and even the Amish community came out to wave us on,” said Aileen. On the trip south, a daughter of a deceased WWII veteran stopped the Rochester convoy to give it the flag that was given to her family for her father’s burial service. They asked that the flag be driven on the lead truck of the convoy through the DC area and then returned to her. “It was so touching to be able to honor her request on behalf of the memory of her father’s service,” said Aileen.
Both Aileen and Amy attended the rally in Maryland. They said that the turnout and unity of truckers and Americans of all occupations touched them. All the convoys met and continue meeting at the Hagerstown Raceway, where the movement is staged. Each day there are speakers, front-line doctors, attorneys, pastors, transportation workers and representatives of organizations focused on the Constitution. “We drove the five-and-a-half hours to see and feel this firsthand,” said Buchel. “We wanted to be part of something larger than the oversized government that has forgotten about our Constitutional rights.” On Saturday evening, while they were in Maryland, a 100-foot flag was raised up by hundreds of supporters. Underneath the flag more than 500 participants stood with their cell phone lights shining up through the flag as a symbol of the American spirit lighting up. “It was amazing to be part of that,” said Buchel. “It was overwhelming and uplifting.”
Each day the People’s Convoy, consisting of thousands of trucks drive laps around the DC area beltway, to remind the government they are there to end the Emergency Act and all existing mandates. On March 8, conversations between the convoy leaders and US Senators began and will continue with discussions on ending all mandates. To learn more about the People’s Convoy, and its schedule of events, visit
https://thepeoplesconvoy.org/.
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