No Kings protest returns to Washington, draws hundreds
Hundreds of protesters turned out in Washington for the “No Kings” protest, one of more than 3,300 events held across the United States on Saturday to oppose the policies of President Donald Trump and his administration.
Under a sunny sky and chilly wind, hundreds of protesters lined the street in front of the Washington County Courthouse on Saturday afternoon, waving American flags and showing off their signs to passing cars, including messages like “Healthcare over warfare,” “Tariffs are taxes we pay,” “No War, No ICE” and “They blame immigrants so you don’t blame the billionaires.”
Many drivers honked their horns or rolled down their windows to cheer in support, and cheers erupted when a man drove along Main Street in a classic car with “No Kings” painted on it.
Walt Mahoney, a U.S. Navy veteran from Finleyville, attended the rally with his wife, Linda.
“We’re here for democracy,” said Mahoney, who served during the Vietnam War era and wore a U.S. Navy veteran ballcap. “We really don’t want a war. I don’t want to see young people coming back in body bags, and that is what will happen. I saw what happened when thousands of servicemen died in Vietnam, and I don’t want to see that happen again.”
Saturday’s protest was one of an estimated 3,300 “No Kings” events planned nationwide.
The Washington County Democratic Committee and the Washington/Greene County Central Labor Council estimated 600 people attended Saturday’s event — the third “No Kings” event held since Trump took office for the second time — and said the diversity of people attending protests has grown each time. Earlier demonstrations attracted mostly older participants.
On Saturday, attendees spanned all ages.
Cameron Boley, 23, a materials scientist for Alcoa Corp., held a cardboard sign that read, “Rejecting kings since 1776.”
“I think we are in a spot right now where changes are occurring for the worse for the country. Generally, there is a trend toward working for something that is more equitable for everybody, but we are seeing the opposite.”
Dana Kubik of Greene County attended the rally with her sister, Jo Ann Bailey of California, and the sisters said there wasn’t one thing that brought them out, but that “everything” is going in the wrong direction.
“Trump and his family are the most corrupt, grifting, self-serving group ever to enter the White House,” said Kubik. “His Cabinet is unqualified, Congress is ineffective and not working for the people who elected them, and the Supreme Court is complicit in a lot of this.”
Said Bailey, “This country is really going in the wrong direction. I won’t live long enough to see what happens, but these kids are going to pay the price for the decisions being made by this administration.”
Sharon Laffey, recording secretary for the Washington County Democratic Committee, said the turnout for the No Kings rallies is a tangible sign of people coming together for democracy, and believes the demonstrations might signal a coming wave of change at the polls.
“Things keep getting worse, and Donald Trump now has us in an unnecessary war that is costing taxpayers at least $1 billion a day, when people can’t afford healthcare, can’t afford groceries and are struggling with gas prices. And now the airports are a mess, TSA agents aren’t getting paid and his ICE goons are in our airports,” said Laffey, who encouraged people to vote in the upcoming elections.
Joy Stark of Washington is a retired special needs teacher who attended the protest with her friends Karen Livolsi and Debbi Moskal, also retired educators.
They rattled off several concerns about the state of the country: immigrant rights, U.S. involvement in the war in Iran and the economy.
“The most patriotic thing we can do is to show up and protest, to rely on the power of the people,” said Moskal. “There are so many things that are wrong, but I would say what really strikes my soul is the abuse of harmless immigrants, and the death of civilians who did nothing wrong throughout the Middle East.”
John Dusha, 73, of Clarksville, who briefly served as a clerk in the U.S. House of Documents Room in the U.S. Capitol after graduating from college, stood along Main Street waving a flag bearing the face of Lady Liberty, and described his disgust and disappointment about current leadership, calling it “criminal.”
Stephanie Rodgers, a social worker from Washington County, carried a sign that read, “They use our tax dollars to bomb children.”
“I came out today because I have significant concerns about the way our country is being run. So many unethical things are going on in our federal government. We need to get out in as many numbers as possible, on the local and national level and let them know we are not OK with this,” said Rodgers. “And it’s part of my own code of ethics as a social worker to speak out at injustice.”