Protesters gathered on Saturday Oct. 18 as part of the national No Kings Day protest — one of the largest protests in state history. People came to protest a number of problems they feel are facing the country including mass deportation efforts, cuts to education resources and an overall shift to authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.

“Our elected representatives are not doing their job to explain to the president that there are limits to his power, so it’s up to the people to say there are three branches of government, and they are not the White House, the West Wing and the Oval Office,” said Michael Jennings, a veteran who served in the Marines in 1969 and 1975.

Joining over 7 million protesters in over 2,600 different locations, Utahns filled the Capitol lawn Saturday to protest the Trump administration.

“I think our democracy is eroding,” said demonstrator Megan Van Frank. “Every single place I look and I’m horrified. And I want to stand up. It’s our first amendment right to be here, and I want to assert that. And the silly costumes are a statement about how stupid it is about what’s going on.” Van Frank and her sister, Leslie, wore inflatable penguin costumes to protest climate change.

The nationwide demonstrations drew strong reactions from Republican leaders, with House Speaker Mike Johnson calling the protests “Hate America” protests. “Nothing more American than saying no to kings,” protestor Paul Burke said.

President Trump posted an AI video on Truth Social on Sunday Oct. 19, which depicted a crowned Trump flying a fighter jet named “King Trump” and dropping feces on protesters as Kenny Loggins’s “Danger Zone“ played in the background.

“This is my first time protesting,” Derek Schwebach, a self-described “disaffected Republican,” said. “I wasn’t planning on coming. I’ve been trying to call my delegation and everything to protest that way. But after I heard Mike Johnson and my party say that only Antifa lunatics would be here, and left-wing lunatics, I figured I needed to come so they could see that’s not true.”

The protests came after an earlier No Kings protest on June 14, where a volunteer from the security team fatally shot a protester and injured another. As of now, no one has been named nor charged. 

This time, organizers took steps to prevent any such violence again, posting on their website that “weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.”

Atmosphere

The event brought thousands of peaceful protestors to the Utah Capitol to make their voices heard. “We have the impossible task of trying to make sense of this world to our children,” John Arthur, one of the speakers, said. Arthur proceeded to lead the crowd in chants of “liberty and justice for all.”

Police maintained a strong presence in order to prevent any repeats of the violence in June. “We came up four months ago, and we were in the march, and with that tragic ending … this is way better. It did make me feel a lot better too, knowing that it’s a different organization that organized this, and they had a long dialog with police for security, and so I think this is awesome. I feel completely safe,” said protestor Aaron Wignall.

Counter-protestors were present as well, with some protestors and counter-protestors engaging in shouting matches.

Issues brought up

Protestors were present for a variety of reasons. Some, like 90-year-old Jim, who declined to provide his last name, were there to protest immigration policies. 

“I came out because I’m 90 years of age,” Jim said. “I fear for our country. My parents were immigrants. They love America. They’re deceased now. I fear for our children, I don’t understand why we are not going for higher values.”

Others, like Kayla Nothing — who confirmed her last name to be “Nothing” — protested wealth inequality. “The people who have all the wealth, right now, eventually it won’t matter. I think that the rich know that. I think they know that at the end of the day their wealth can’t save them,” Nothing said.

Other people in attendance were there to stand up for their First Amendment rights. “I think people need to really understand that we have three ways of influencing our democracy,” Van Frank said. “One is advocacy, one is protest and one is voting. And that our outrage is on behalf of the thing that we love, which is our country and our system of government, and that it only lasts as long as we protect it and are active in it.”

Solutions and takeaways

Many protestors felt that the only way forward was to continue to protest. “I think it’s just going to get worse until the Republican leadership comes to their senses,” Schwebach said. “And right now, I think they’re just too scared to stand against that group. That’s why these events are so important because the people are the ones that are going to need to stand up.”

Other protestors felt disaffected with Washington’s politics. “I don’t feel like either party was listening to anybody, and I feel like it’s time for more people to come out and protest so their voices are heard,” Schwebach said.

People also expressed hope that democracy continues in America. Demonstrator Hari Khalsa, for example, hung a large Declaration of Independence sign off the Capitol’s balcony next to the speakers. “I’m passionate about democracy really, and I don’t want to see it go away,” Khalsa said. “The country has been a democracy my whole life. It’s been a democracy at least since the Civil Rights Movement, and I don’t want to see that go away.”

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@lucafinndig.bsky.social