by Dennis Dalman
A huge gathering of anti-Trump protesters – most holding signs – lined Division Street in St. Cloud on the afternoon of June 14 for a “No Kings” rally.
Despite organizers cancelling the events upon request in St. Cloud and throughout Minnesota, people showed up anyway. Cancellations were recommended for “No Kings” rallies because in the pre-dawn hours of that day, a gun-wielding man had shot two legislators and their spouses, killing two of them. (See related story.) State officials had feared the escaped assassin might wreak havoc against “No Kings” protesters – thus the cancellation requests. The organizers of the St. Cloud event did announce a cancellation, but if protesters knew about it they showed up anyway.
Throughout America, the rallies/protests were titled “No Kings” because many people contend President Trump is behaving like a king, autocrat or dictator rather than a public servant for all the people in the nation.
The St. Cloud event drew a crowd estimated at more than 2,000 to both sides of Division Street just south of the Great River Regional Library.
People in passing vehicles honked their horns steadily as some rolled down their windows to smile and wave and shout words of support. There were few if any gestures or shouts of opposition to the protesters.
Nationwide, an estimated 5 million people joined “No Kings” protests in all 50 states. In Minnesota more than 40 such protests took place, despite attempts to cancel them. No known acts of violence at the rallies were reported to have taken place.
The rallies took place on the same day as Flag Day and a military parade in Washington, D.C. as requested by Trump to honor the U.S. Army on its 250th birthday. It coincided with Trump’s own birthday – his 79th.
The St. Cloud rally was organized by two groups – Americans for Democracy and the Benton/Stearns Progressives. It’s one of many anti-Trump rallies in St. Cloud organized by Americans for Democracy and other groups that took place, mainly on Saturdays, since early spring.
At one point in the rally, protestors began a loud repeated chant of “No King! No King! No King! A colorful flurry of mostly homemade placard signs were held by the protesters lining both sides of Division Street, with the following being some examples:
“No King!”
“Fight Ignorance, Not Immigrants”
“Defend Democracy”
“Depose King Con” and under that message was a drawn orange caricature of President Trump as the famed movie guerilla King Kong.
“Stop the Grift”
At one point one of the organizers, Jim Parsons, used a bull horn to announce the statewide cancellation request, but he added such non-violent protests are protected by the U.S. Constitution. The protesters who stay, he said, should be sure to stay off the streets and not impede the sidewalks.
The people – at least most of them – stayed and continued to wave back to the honking motorists.
People show their placards to passing motorists during a “No Kings” rally in St. Cloud June 14. Almost all the motorists responded by honking horns, smiles and shouts of approval from rolled-down windows.
