Pictured: Tina Stansberry waves an American flag at the traffic below as she waited for The People’s Convoy to roll through Greenfield on Thursday. The Anderson woman came out to support American truckers, who she says are the backbone of the American economy. Her husband, Jeffrey Stansberry, has been a trucker for the past 30 years. Daily Reporter photo
GREENFIELD — Like most 5-year-old boys, Cole loves to wave at semi-truck drivers and pump his fist, prompting them to blast their horn as they drive by.
The Greenfield boy joined his mom and dozens of other people standing on the State Road 9 overpass of Interstate 70 to cheer on truckers Thursday morning as they drove by as part of a politically motivated convoy making its way from the West Coast to the East Coast.
The trucks — many of them decked out in red, white and blue, bearing American flags — are making their way across the country as part of The People’s Convoy, which organizers describe as a “peaceful and unified transcontinental movement” to support truckers and promote freedom in the United States.
Specifically, supporters are urging lawmakers to lift all mandates and end all states of emergency put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cole and his mom were among those who came out to support the convoy on Thursday, watching the interstate traffic pass below from the Greenfield overpass, waving American flags. Countless truckers blasted their horns and gave the crowd a thumbs up as they drove by.
The convoy made its way through Greenfield around 11 a.m. after driving from a morning rally in Monrovia.
The convoy started out Feb. 23 from the Adelanto Stadium in Southern California and will travel all the way to the East Coast, stopping for rallies and speakers along the way.
Tina Stansberry of Anderson was the first to arrive at the Greenfield overpass Thursday, around 7:30 a.m. Gradually, more supporters joined her in the chilly cold, totalling about 50 in number by the time the convoy rolled through.
“My husband is a trucker, and I came out to support them,” said Stansberry, as she smiled and waved a hand-held American flag at the traffic below.
Her husband, Jeffrey Stansberry, 57, has been a trucker for 30 years.
If it weren’t for truckers like him, Americans wouldn’t have access to all the things we need and use each day, said his wife.
“They work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to get us what we need. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have the food we eat, the clothes we wear, or the TVs and things we use each day,” she continued.
Supporting The People’s Convoy was a way to support those truckers, she said.
According to the convoy’s official website, thepeoplesconvoy.org, the cross-country caravan voices the people’s desire to resume life as it was prior to the pandemic.
According to the website, “it is now time to re-open the country. The average American worker needs to be able to end-run the economic hardships of the last two years and get back to the business of making bread – so they can pay their rents and mortgages and help jump start this economy.
“To that end, it’s time for elected officials to work with the blue-collar and white-collar workers of America and restore accountability and liberty – by lifting all mandates and ending the state of emergency – as COVID is well-in-hand now, and Americans need to get back to work in a free and unrestricted manner.”
The website garnered online donations to support the truckers with fuel and supplies throughout the cross-country event.
Stansberry said standing out in the freezing cold for hours Thursday was a small price to pay to support American truckers.
“Even if my husband wasn’t a trucker, I’d still be out here supporting them,” she said.
Jim and Suzanne Bellows drove three hours from their home in Constantine, Mich. to support the convoy. They had just attended the rally in Monrovia before heading to Greenfield.
“It’s great to see so many people coming together to champion our freedom,” said Suzanne Bellows, as her husband unfurled the 3-by-5-foot American flag in her hand.
