Dem
47
GOP
53
Some more No Kings reports and images:
J.S. in York, PA, writes: I could not attend, we were busy on a family trip. Apropos, we went to Colonial Williamsburg. I think what is most striking about these protests is that it is not just big cities. I live in South Central Pennsylvania. We have York, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Hanover, etc., that all had strong blue showings, despite the rural nature. But even here, sometimes you feel alone. I cannot imagine what it is like in some of the more rural parts of the state.
I think these events have a twofold importance. One, they show that you are not alone. I have long postulated that we need to STOP thinking of states as red and blue, but all different shades of purple. There were more Trump voters in California than Texas, I believe, more Harris voters in Texas than New York, and so on and so forth. And two, it's important to show those that are of the other persuasion that no, not all of their neighbors agree with them. Which is fine. They have spent so long appropriating "We the People" and the American flag. Which irritates me. A lot.
Just because they think they are patriots doesn't mean it's not my country, too. Seeing these protests can serve as that reminder. Maybe. Hopefully...
B.B. from Newtown, PA, writes: My wife and I are traveling in an RV with our little dog on a trip from Philadelphia to Detroit (for a family function) and then down to Key Largo and up the coast again to be home by Thanksgiving. We were lucky enough to be traveling through Tallahassee, FL, on the day of the No Kings protests and enthusiastically joined in.
I read the crowd was only about 3,500 people, but from my vantage point, a ways off from the center of the crowd, I would say it was a lot closer to 10,000. It was certainly a friendly and animated crowd. The protest was directly in front of the Florida Capitol building along a four-lane road and we were barraged by a constant stream of supporting honking cars along with plenty of thumbs up from the passers by. I wonder if I have suffered some hearing loss from the relentless blaring!
The protesters skewed older, though with fair representation from Millennials and the odd Gen-Zer, but the crowd was very white with little diversity in a region of the country that is very diverse. However, many if not most of the supporting honking cars passing by on Monroe Street were filled with Black occupants. My wife and I had just come from touring civil rights museums in Birmingham, AL, and Montgomery, AL, which prominently featured images of Black protesters taking to the streets to highlight injustice. One would think that the tradition of shouting from the rooftops, or at least the sidewalks, would bring many Black Americans along with all us white folks out on a pleasant Saturday morning. That was not the case. Nor was this the case during the June No Kings protest we attended in Philadelphia.
Judging by the car honking (and I am still hearing it in my sleep), Black Americans support the resistance, but not on the street. My question is, what is keeping them from joining in, and in droves? Is there something we can do to make protesting more open, attractive, and safe for a wider community?
R.B. in Chaska, MN, writes: We were out of town for the long weekend (a 5-day holiday with no school) so we went to No Kings in Peoria, IL, and found a HUGE crowd. Color me impressed, Peoria. People were friendly and the atmosphere was enthusiastic. Anyways, I thought you might get a laugh out of this guy's NSFW sign:
That made my day. By the way, do dogs count towards the total for attendance? They should. Huskies twice.
J.L. in Lutherville, MD, writes: I had several options of nearby events. I decided on the closest one so I could walk. It was a sign wave on an overpass above I-83. There were about 400 people there. On my walk both to and from I passed other people with signs and we all cheered each other.
E.G.G.-C. in Syracuse, NY, writes: View from Syracuse. The rally was held next to an abandoned mall. And its parking lot was packed!
We'll certainly keep this going through the end of the week. And we have a lot of these, so maybe we'll keep going even beyond that. (Z)