At the corner of Randolph and Fairview avenues in St. Paul on Saturday afternoon, dozens of people lined the streets, spilling into the intersection holding American flags and signs like the one that read, “This sign is not big enough for all the reasons I’m out here,” as part of the “No Kings” protests across the nation.
A steady cacophony of honking horns from motorists passing through the intersection was accompanied by cheers from people who gathered to protest the Trump administration. People beat on drums and toddlers banged on kitchen pans with utensils.
Some people dressed head-to-toe in costumes; others wore capes and crowns. Some, like Sarah Wilmer’s 11-year-old son, let his sign do the talking: “Kids Against Kings.”
Wilmer and Sarah Kathol, who brought her 8-year-old son, said that it was important for them to bring their children to Saturday’s rally.
“We came to show that we’re sick of the situation and we’re ready to show up,” Wilmer said.
Bringing her son “shows him that he can do something about it and be a part of the voice of the people saying, ‘We’re sick of this,’” Kathol said.
“My son has been learning more about what’s going on and has been feeling a lot of anxiety about it,” Kathol said. “I feel like this is a way to be doing something about it and that he will remember in the future.”
While many people cited different reasons for attending the rallies, there were some common themes.
Wilmer and Kathol, both of St. Paul, said that attending helped them feel less alone and created solidarity with likeminded people.
Wilmer and Kathol were some of the thousands who gathered across Minnesota on Saturday to protest the administration of President Donald Trump as part of the second round of “No Kings” protests this year. Nationwide, organizers expected millions to turn out for the demonstrations.
In addition to two St. Paul rallies, people gathered at the Commons, a park in downtown Minneapolis near U.S. Bank Stadium. Other rallies were held across the state, including in Duluth, Rochester, St. Cloud, Fargo-Moorhead, International Falls and other communities.
A St. Paul woman who went by the name “Lee” said she was there for many reasons, including trying to protect and keep Social Security benefits, Medicare benefits, ObamaCare and education funding.
“I’m a retired teacher and I think it’s horrible taking money away from education and the special-needs children and services, it’s just horrible,” she said. “We have to protest. I’m 75 years old; the last time I protested, I was 17 (against) the Vietnam War and for rights for African Americans. It’s just horrible that I’ve got to be out here now protesting for my rights as a citizen. We want no kings in America. Last time there was a king was 1776 and that’s why we had a revolution.
“We’ve just got to stop them,” Lee said. “We can’t have this anymore. We’ve got to put (Trump) out of office and all the people that are with him.”
The mood at the St. Paul intersection was joyful and hopeful, with most people smiling and cheering.
“Everybody is frustrated with the lack of leadership on both sides,” said John Osborn of St. Paul. “But the result of that is who we have in office now, who is beyond our worst expectations, and so we have to stand up against it. I don’t know where we’re going to go from here. But this is the first step, is standing up against it.”
He said that the first “No Kings” rally was very emotional for him because he was filled with concern, but that Saturday’s rally had a different feeling.
“There is more optimism,” he said. “There’s more unity. There are more people coming together. People are feeling that positive energy of coming together, so that’s heartening to feel. You look around and see everyone is smiling.”
Joanne Terry of St. Paul said that it seemed like at least 10 times as many people had turned out Saturday than had turned out for the first rally in June.
She and Jen Keating, also of St. Paul, came together to protest the Trump administration “because of the (federal government) shutdown and because we’re all just getting really tired of all our independent rights being removed, people being persecuted and people not getting the services that our taxes are paying for,” she said.
Keating agreed. “Every day I wake up and it hits me what is actually happening and that it is so unconstitutional. It’s so great to gather with all these people and know I’m not alone,” Keating said.
“We the people do have the power,” Terry said. “And when we believe it, we can make a difference. We do have to speak out and do something to stop this.”
Organizers expected millions to attend more than 2,600 events planned in all 50 states. Demonstrators packed New York City’s Times Square, Boston Common, Chicago’s Grant Park and hundreds of smaller public spaces in what the Republican Party has called “Hate America” rallies.
The first “No Kings” rallies across the country were held in June. About 25,000 people attended the first rally at the state Capitol in St. Paul on June 14, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. Organizers with Indivisible claimed 80,000 attended.
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