No Kings!

/ Jeff Cann

Read on a sign: You can’t spell HATRED without RED HAT.

Following the George Floyd murder in 2020, after conservative America began its backlash against the Black Lives Matter movement, Susan and I joined a protest. A few hundred people, mostly college professors, nonprofit workers and retirees, encircled the Gettysburg town square. We held signs and chanted slogans. A dozen white guys stood sentry wearing assault rifles and camouflage. One stood on the roof of his pickup truck, surveying the crowd, I suppose ready to snipe a lib if one got too uppity.

A couple approached us: her – long blonde hair wearing shorts and sandals and a sleeveless tee; him – shirtless, scraggly jeans and combat boots, a semi-automatic rifle slung over his shoulder. “You calling me racist?” He reacted to the sign we brought: Confederate Flags are Racist and Hateful. Sophie made the sign after one of the Confederate rallies on the Gettysburg Battlefield that summer.

We responded with snark: “Are you a Confederate flag?”

“You’re un-American!” This spoken incredulously by his pretty wife.

My unsaid comeback: “There is literally nothing less American than the Confederate flag, the banner of an army at war with America.” I thought this gem up a couple of days later. I neglected to get her phone number so I could text her my zinger when I finally thought one up. This was my last protest, freaked out by the guns and the potential for confrontation with people with guns, I’ve skipped them ever since.

Not that there have been many, until this year, that is. For months now protestors lined the streets on a regular basis taking aim at Trump, Musk and MAGA. I didn’t join in, but I mistakenly drove through it a couple of times, overwhelmed by the chaos, chagrined by leaving the heavy lifting for others. The demonstrative nature of protests felt too public for an introvert like me. The likelihood of confrontation kept me away.

This past week, I asked Susan if she would join me at Gettysburg’s No Kings protest—the nationwide (global?) response to Donald Trump spending forty-billion dollars on a birthday parade for himself. Despite the threat of gun violence, the huge crowd, the realization that I might feel forced to chant slogans or argue with MAGAsters, we showed up. As we walked towards the protest from our car, we watched a family of four exit their own car. The husband donned his Civil War officer cavalry hat and adjusted the pistol holstered on his hip.

But we didn’t bail. We joined the crowd. We didn’t bring signs or flags. We just supplied our bodies and bolstered the crowd which was estimated at two thousand people. When the protest ended, promptly at one o’clock, Susan and I walked into one of the shops on the square. That’s when I realized how stressed I was. My chest hurt from the excess adrenaline flooding my veins.  

Read on a sign: Two of Donald Trump’s wives were immigrants. Proof that only immigrants do the work that no Americans are willing to do.

We only saw that one gun. Confrontation was minimal. One guy walked through the crowd shouting “Boo! Boooo!” as his wife and sons followed behind looking mortified, and a guy in a pickup slowed down to give us the finger and scream “Fuck you!”

I wonder if others felt the distress I did. I’m sure many loved it, standing in a crowd of likeminded people in a county that cast sixty-seven percent of their votes for Donald Trump. I’m just pissed that this is necessary. The need to push back against the notion that hardworking immigrants are illegal, that disabled people on Medicaid are freeloaders, that Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax is an existential threat. The cliff seems insurmountable. I’m forced to participate. I’d rather just write.

To those of you who participated in No Kings protests, I salute you. To quote my main man Bob Marley: “Don’t give up the fight.”

Read on a sign: Protest is Patriotic.

47 thoughts on “No Kings!”

  1. I’ve never joined a protest. They seem so scary nowadays with the potential for violence. I like the thought of them though, to protest against something you’re passionate for.

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  4. Surprisingly, my little town of Cortez, CO (pop. 9,000) has been hosting protests so far this year, including yesterday (6/14). Cortez is rancidly red politically, as is all of western and southwestern Colorado. I wanted to attend but physical limitations prevented my participation. I have a sister here in town who is part of the maga/Q-anon crowd and I wonder what she’d have done if she’d have driven by and saw me out there marching and chanting, holding up a “F*ck Tr*mp” sign or something similar. But man, I wish I could have participated. Your experiences with the maga gun fetishists are truly terrifying. This area is replete with those nutjobs (guns, big pick-up trucks, rednecks, etc.). It’s surreal. I commend you and your wife for showing up and supporting the movement, Jeff. In this current violent atmosphere, it really does take courage to stand up for what’s right, and I admire you for doing so. Let’s hope all of our efforts–no matter how big or small–make a difference.

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    • I moved to my town from DC where *everybody* was politically on the same page. It’s disconcerting to be in the minority. I want to yell “Can’t you see what’s going on?” I hope this rebellion can cause a positive change. I suspect it will have the opposite reaction and cause further division.

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  5. Wish I could’ve joined in. Unfortunately, I was stuck working (nobody could relieve me, and even if they could, I have barely enough gas in the tank to get to and from work until payday and no money to take the day off or go anywhere). I read up and posted where I could to support others on the Fediverse, spread the word. That’s all I could do. I was frustrated because I wish I could’ve been out there and joined one in Houston at least (my county is deep MAGA, unfortunately, & too far. I felt useless, at least til I could reach out and lend online support. Sucks to be so broke you can’t even protest in the flesh like I always wanted to do. But I’m glad others could.

    Be well, folks, and continue to hope that reason, sanity, and general goodness become qualities we admire again as a nation. Be the good.

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    • Yes, that’s a bummer for sure. Trump’s tariffs can’t be helping your cashflow. I guess gas is going up as well. 🥺 Your online support helps. Keep doing what you can!

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  8. “Thank you for your service”
    seems like a reasonable thing to say under the circumstances that you describe.
    ~
    As a child, I found the tagline for the Superman TV series inspiring –
    Truth, Justice and the American Way
    These days I’m more likely to be inspired by a brave librarian.
    Be well and do good, Jeff,
    DD

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    • The “American Way” — something to avoid. When my kids were in high school, their mascot was an Indian warrior (of course, America, right?). All of the correspondence from the school always ended with “the warrior way.” What a message to grow up with.

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        • I note a deep discussion about this issue on the web.
          At the time the B&W Superman TV series was airing, Australia was planning a referendum about recognising indigenous people as being people, and giving them a vote. The “way” seemed obvious and in 1967 (YES, 1967) Australians voted yes.

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        • It sounds astounding, but in the states, it wasn’t until a 1974 law when women were granted the right to open a bank account on their own. The American Way wasn’t so wonderful .Of course this is the world that trumpers want to return to.

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        • Wow!
          The referendum spent ten years in parliament before it was agreed.
          NB superman was a post macarthy journalist, which seems to mean something

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  9. It takes an extra dose of courage to go out on the streets while battling your internal struggles, and I’m glad you came out of it safe. I’m proud to know so many people who stood up for the country they believe in.

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    • Well, yes, it’s great that everyone was out there, but to me it feels pro forma, or worse, giving trump what he wants, which is attention. I don’t think he cares if it’s positive or negative as long as people are thinking about him. I’m pretty conflicted by the whole thing.

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      • For what it’s worth, the reaction I have seen on Mastodon (the only social media I’m on, other than WordPress) is that the demonstrations show that anti-Trump sentiment hugely outweighs the Pro-Trumpers, and it has irritated him a lot. A lot of people have been saying it made them feel better about the situation, knowing they were not as alone as they felt in their desperation. YOU did that, as much as anybody. You showed up, and it matters.

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  10. Thank you for adding your bodies and standing up, Jeff. I’m still giggling about “Two of Donald Trump’s wives were immigrants. Proof that only immigrants do the work that no Americans are willing to do.” Right!

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      • That was my biggest concern over the weekend across the US and was so glad to see it was isolated to that sad Minnesota case, kind of a different thing entirely. Dawn is going to join the Zoom debrief tonight I think; curious to see what the next steps are for protest. Guessing safety will become a bigger factor but not letting that stop me, kind of like voting and maybe more meaningful at this stage.

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  14. I’m glad that you and so many others went to a No Kings protest. I had wanted to, but there was none locally. So, it would have meant driving to one, and since I no longer drive, that was not an option. I also didn’t feel it was right to talk my 76-year-old sister into driving me. I would have felt awful if something happened. I have often told her if we are in a crowd, and there is some sort of violence that she should get herself to safety and not waste time looking for me. I would find her later. And unfortunately, violence was a real possibility during these protests. Thankfully, things were mostly quiet around the country. I’m sure that there are many like me, who are anti-Trump, but did not attend a protest for many reasons. People need to also remember that there are many ways to resist. So even if you aren’t able or willing to protest, you can still resist via various avenues—voting, writing elected officials, and sharing viewpoints thru things like blogs.

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  15. I’m glad you went! Seeing all the people in the videos on-line made me nostalgic for the late 90s – early 00s when I was marching and protesting. San Diego had a pretty good crowd, and there were smaller crowds in 5 or 6 of the suburban cities.

    I would be completely freaked out seeing people open carry! Your Edvard Munch is appropriate 😂

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  16. Pingback: No Kings! - The Love Bud

  17. Merci Jeff pour ce témoignage à la fois personnel et universel. En tant que citoyen haïtien, vivant dans un pays où l’expression démocratique est souvent mise à l’épreuve, je comprends pleinement ce mélange de courage et d’appréhension que vous décrivez.

    Votre honnêteté sur la peur ressentie, mais aussi sur l’importance de participer malgré tout, fait écho à beaucoup de situations dans le monde où défendre la justice sociale, la dignité humaine et l’égalité reste un acte essentiel, même s’il n’est pas toujours confortable.

    La phrase « La protestation est patriotique » me parle particulièrement : il est vrai que défendre des valeurs universelles n’est pas une question d’idéologie, mais bien de conscience collective. Merci pour ce texte, qui montre qu’au-delà des pancartes, c’est aussi par l’écriture et le dialogue que l’on peut continuer à faire avancer les choses, avec calme mais détermination.

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  18. Merci Jeff pour ce témoignage sincère et puissant. En tant que lecteur vivant à des milliers de kilomètres – en Haïti – vos mots résonnent profondément. La peur, le doute, l’envie de rester à l’écart et pourtant le besoin moral d’être présent… tout cela, je le comprends. Votre honnêteté sur votre stress, votre hésitation, votre décision malgré tout d’y aller, est une vraie leçon de courage civique.

    Je suis aussi frappé par la phrase : « Je préfère simplement écrire. » Écrire est un acte de résistance en soi. Vos mots renforcent ceux qui, comme vous, ont parfois peur mais choisissent malgré tout de rester debout. Merci d’avoir utilisé votre voix pour dire que protester est patriote, que la vérité mérite d’être défendue, même dans l’inconfort.

    Vous nous rappelez que participer peut prendre plusieurs formes, et que même ceux qui n’élèvent pas la voix physiquement peuvent amplifier les luttes par l’écriture. Continuez d’écrire, Jeff. Vous touchez plus de consciences que vous ne l’imaginez.

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    • Thank you for these words of encouragement Bruce-Lee. I guess many of us are doing what we can, and writing is my best skill. I’ve enjoyed your insightful comments today. Will you be creating a blog of your own? If yes, I’ll follow.

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      • Merci Jeff pour votre réponse chaleureuse. Cela me touche sincèrement. Pour être honnête, ici en Haïti, je consacre beaucoup de temps à chercher un emploi stable, ce qui n’est pas évident. Les opportunités sont rares, surtout quand on veut rester intègre et contribuer positivement à la société. Mais malgré ces difficultés, je garde espoir et je continue à me former, à apprendre, et à m’impliquer à ma manière.

        Créer un blog est une idée qui me revient souvent, justement pour partager mes réflexions et peut-être encourager d’autres jeunes dans ma situation. Vos mots m’encouragent à y réfléchir plus sérieusement.

        Je vous félicite pour votre engagement et votre honnêteté. Votre façon d’utiliser l’écriture comme forme de contribution est un bel exemple, surtout pour ceux qui, comme moi, cherchent encore leur place dans ce monde.

        Encore merci et à bientôt !

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      • Merci Jeff pour votre réponse chaleureuse. Cela me touche sincèrement. Pour être honnête, ici en Haïti, je consacre beaucoup de temps à chercher un emploi stable, ce qui n’est pas évident. Les opportunités sont rares, surtout quand on veut rester intègre et contribuer positivement à la société. Mais malgré ces difficultés, je garde espoir et je continue à me former, à apprendre, et à m’impliquer à ma manière.

        Créer un blog est une idée qui me revient souvent, justement pour partager mes réflexions et peut-être encourager d’autres jeunes dans ma situation. Vos mots m’encouragent à y réfléchir plus sérieusement.

        Je vous félicite pour votre engagement et votre honnêteté. Votre façon d’utiliser l’écriture comme forme de contribution est un bel exemple, surtout pour ceux qui, comme moi, cherchent encore leur place dans ce monde.

        Encore merci et à bientôt !

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