‘No Kings’ protests: USA TODAY Network on the ground
From Tallahassee to Akron, USA TODAY Network was at “No Kings” protests across the country.
The next No Kings events will feature mass voter turnout efforts nationwide on Oct. 17, organizers announced.
They have worked to build a nationwide network of advocates over the past 18 months, hoping to increase turnout ahead of the midterm elections.
The No Kings coalition includes labor organizations, progressive activists, civil rights groups and faith leaders. Among them: American Federation of Teachers, Black Voters Matter Fund, Voto Latino, Indivisible, MoveOn and Public Citizen.
“The time for sending a message is over,” Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin told USA TODAY. “Now we are headed into an important point in a democracy, which is whether the people stand up and refuse to allow an authoritarian to consolidate power. And the way to do that in a democracy is by exercising your right to vote and by exercising your right to organize to prevent any sabotage in that election.”
The name No Kings comes from the organizers’ belief that Trump is acting like a monarch rather than the leader of a democracy.
White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis dismissed the action. “What King are they protesting? This is more Trump derangement syndrome. We are lucky to have a President who works around the clock to Make America Great Again,” Bis said.
The previous three No Kings events largely focused on thousands of rallies and protests to bring millions of Americans into the streets in small towns, suburbs and large cities. Having hyper-local events meant organizers could immediately connect participants with ways to help their communities, including registering voters and supplying food banks.
“The goal of those tactics was to send a message that people aren’t afraid to exercise their constitutional rights. People aren’t going to be cowed by an authoritarian regime that is threatening to come at them with the National Guard, with a goon squad, that we’re here, we’re not going away,” Levin said. “That message, I think, was sent and was received.”
The last No Kings, held in March, included events in communities in all 50 states and every congressional district, including rural and Republican areas.
No Kings events are tailored and run by locals, not by national groups.
For example, expect block parties, marches, fairs, neighborhood gatherings and barbecues, said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen.
“We’re going to be engaging on a more hyper-local level,” Gilbert said. “You should expect more small, exciting events that stress community, that are about either going out together right from the event to vote early or making a plan to do so.”
By Oct. 17, in-person early voting will have begun in more than half of states. Many states will have already sent out paper ballots.
In Harrison, Arkansas, local organizers will be outside the county courthouse, helping people plan to vote early. In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, they will canvass, phone bank and write postcards. And attendees are encouraged to wear superhero costumes and wave flags and signs in Frisco, Texas, where in-person early voting will not have started yet.
“The precise nature of this is going to be different, but the vibe of joyful community power is going to be the same,” Levin said.
In the swing states of Alaska, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas, training will be offered for how to respond to attempts to interfere with the election or intimidate voters, Levin said.
At past No Kings, organizers looked at the numbers of events and people who turned out to determine whether they were successful. Each action was larger than the one before. The success of the Oct. 17 actions will be determined by how many people vote early, Levin said.
“The goal before was to send a message and recruit volunteers to do more civic engagement work. The goal this time is to not just send a message. (It is) to take back power for the people through the biggest early vote that we’ve ever seen in this country, and to prepare a nationwide force to push back against the sabotage that comes our way,” Levin said.
Levin said the next No Kings event will be “Election Day.”