Thousands vent anger at Tax Day Tea Party

It rained on the Richmond Tax Day Tea Party, but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm of several thousand chanting, sign-waving Virginians.

They crowded into the Kanawha Plaza tonight to vent their anger at what they consider a big-spending government that they fear is taking away their freedoms.

The signs told the story:

"The Real Pirates are in Congress."

"Stop Toxic Spending!"

"Tea Party Today. Tar and Feathers Tomorrow!"

"Unrepentant Capitalist!"

"Obamanomics. Trickle Up Poverty."

"Obama Wants Your Dollars. Do You Want His Change?"

"Who Will Bail Out the Bailout?"

Across the nation today, tens of thousands of protesters staged hundreds of "tea parties," from Boston to Salt Lake City, from Kentucky to Alaska to rail against the nation's mounting debt and spending they think is out of control.

Protesters even threw what appeared to be a box of tea bags toward the White House, causing a brief lockdown at the compound.

At the Richmond tea party, some wore tea bags as earrings.

A series of speakers, many from radio station WRVA, railed against the government and the growing federal debt. But the loudspeakers weren't strong enough to carry the speeches to the rear of the crowd. Many shouted their disapproval with the sound system.

A Patrick Henry impersonator drew the biggest applause with a recitation of his famous "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech, made just a few blocks away in 1775.

Robert Bruce came up from Aylett to hold an American flag upside down, a symbol of distress.

"America is going in the wrong direction," he said.

Nessa Park of Richmond, attending her first political rally, checked a reporter's identity before talking to him.

"I don't want socialism," she said.

The speakers sounded an anti-government theme. Matt Whitworth, a student at Virginia Commonwealth University, said, "The best way to fix the economy is to cut taxes . . . and get the government out of our lives."

Jamie Radtke, a member of the group Restoring the Founders' Vision, brought her young children with her to emphasize her point that the growing debt is "embezzling and pillaging our children's future."

Sarah Halsey wore red, white and blue ribbons in her hair and a sandwich board that proclaimed, "I am only 8 years old and I'm already $36,000 in debt." On the back, it read "Keep your Marxist hands out of my piggy bank."

Her father, Stephen Halsey, 40, of Henrico County held a sign that said, "Government is not the solution to our problems. Government is the problem."

On the outskirts of the crowd, Charles Jones, 46, of Henrico County held a giant wooden pitchfork that impaled large dollar bills labeled "earmarks" and "waste."

Ashley Farley, 14, and Ivy Williamson, 13, both of Mechanicsville, stood atop a wall leading into the park and waved to passing vehicles. They held homemade signs that read "Stop spending our future" and "Party like it's 1773."

Hari Sevugan, press secretary for the Democratic National Committee, issued a statement in response to the tea party rallies:

"While we support the right of Americans to petition their government, what's clear is that the overwhelming majority of folks support President [Barack] Obama's plan to get the economy back on track and provide 95 percent of working families with tax relief, because they are no longer going to accept 'more of the same' as an answer."

Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or .

Contact Melodie N. Martin at (000) 649-6290 or .

The Associated Press contributed to this report.