Local ‘No Kings’ Protest Draws Large Crowd

The Durham No Kings protest on October 18th drew a crowd of around 7,000 individuals rallying against recent actions from the current presidential administration. About 2,600 protests took place across the country, making it one of the largest days of protest ever against President Donald Trump.

There were many signs at the Durham protest with creative messages speaking out against President Trump, ranging from “Health Care not Wealth Care” to “IKEA Has Better Cabinets” to “No Crown for a Clown.” All of the messages criticized the Trump administration, voicing the opinion that the president is acting as more of a monarch than a president. The crowd marched in a mile loop through downtown Durham, holding up their signs and participating in various chants. “It felt very impactful and powerful to have all those people united and marching together,” a Jordan senior who attended the protest shared.

The first No Kings protest took place in June, and although many individuals took part in the original protest in Durham, the number of participants was far surpassed by the October protest. The June protest occurred on the same day as President Trump’s birthday parade in an attempt to shift the focus away from the military parade and towards a need to sustain and strengthen America’s democracy. The October protest reinforced these values and made it clear that many Americans do not condone dictatorship and never will.