“Vote Downey out! Vote Downey out!” were the words to a chant that could be heard at the corner of 50th Street and Woodale Avenue on October 4th. Senior Isaac Rothberg and recent Edina graduate Gabe Aderhold co-hosted a protest rallying against Minnesota senator Keith Downey.

The rally started at Woodale Park and consisted of 25 people, mostly current EHS students or recent graduates. Along with Aderhold and Rothberg, seniors Audrey Lidke and Diana Lu spoke out against Keith Downey at the rally. The four of them all addressed issues that they felt strongly about. They talked about how Downey opposes gay marriage rights and voter I.D. Also, the speakers included how he made cuts in government funding, taking away jobs rather than making more. Rothberg said, “Fifteen percent of the state workforce would be out of jobs after this cut in government funding.”  Lastly, they spoke about how Downey voted to repeal the law for equal pay for women, and how he is a strong opponent of anti-bullying laws.

After the speeches, the pack headed down to the street corner. With signs in the air and chants ringing about, the early evening rush hour traffic soon traveled past the intersection. Signs reading ‘Keith Downey – Too Extreme’ and ‘Vote Downey Out’ along with the steady chant of ‘We will remember in November’ caught many drivers’ eyes and ears. “We had many cars honking towards us in support.  But we also had a few angry drivers yell out the window or even flip us off,” said Rothberg. Towards the end of the rally, an Edina police officer pulled over in his cab car to check on the pack and their megahorn.  However, Aderhold and Rothberg had enough knowledge in protesting that they were smart enough to pay $20 for a megahorn permit beforehand.