On Saturday, October 18, citizens of Truckee, Calif., gathered at the intersection of Safeway, Ace Hardware, and Dairy Queen as part of a slew of protests taking place nationwide under a broader movement known as No Kings. Built up on all four corners and dispersed further down the street, protesters held signs that ranged from calls for more affordable healthcare to solidarity with Ukraine. Despite only being a small part of a broader movement, this demonstration showed the pervasiveness and relevance of the No Kings movement for many Americans.
According to the official No Kings website, the No Kings movement spans protests in all 50 states with 2,700 different locations, a large accomplishment for a movement that started only this past June.
In local cities alone, it was discussed in an article in the San Francisco Chronicle how organizers were surprised by a turnout that far exceeded their expectations. A quick scan of the crowd at any of the No Kings protests will give you the answer to the success of this movement: inclusion.
The No Kings movement isn’t single mindedly focused on one aspect of society but rather includes a diverse range of pre-existing movements that have been revisited and brought back into the limelight by the actions of the current Presidential administration. This isn’t to say that a clear point of this movement doesn’t exist; as the name itself suggests, they aim to prevent the formation of an authoritative government. Moreover, they are calling upon a well-established American patriotic aversion to overreaching executive branches to insight action against President Donald Trump.
Looking at the No Kings protest in Truckee, the most prominent movements showcased were calling for the preservation and progression of Women’s Rights and Immigrant’s Rights. On the corner just outside Safeway there even hung a giant banner displaying the words, “Nation of Immigrants.”
Along with this, there were protesters displaying terms and signals that have become synonymous with the No Kings movement. Such as the use of the numbers 86 47, which combines the term 86 which has long been used to mean “to throw out” or “get rid of” with 47 being used to refer to President Donald Trump, as he is the 47th president. Additionally, protesters have been using inflatable animal costumes–especially frogs–to both serve as a reminder of the non-violent nature of the No Kings movement as well as a subtle display against police brutality.
Although protests in towns such as this one seem almost inconsequential when compared to the magnitude of protests in larger cities, they still hold an important role in the success of the No Kings movement.
In a Guardian article, it states how protesters and organizers alike have been aiming for participation from 3.5% of the national population. This figure comes from studies that have shown that movements are almost sure to succeed if they are able to garner participation by about 3.5% of a nation’s population in non-violent demonstrations. As of this moment, it appears that participation in the movement has not reached this threshold; if it ever does, that does not guarantee that the goal of the movement will be met. Still, many hold out hope that the protests will grow and their calls will be met.