Millions of people gathered across the United States for the Oct. 18 “No Kings” protests to rally against what demonstrators see as rising fascism under President Donald Trump’s administration.
This is the second set of “No Kings” protests since the start of Trump’s second term, with a previous one being held June 14, Trump’s birthday. It is estimated that between 2 and 4.8 million people participated in the June 14 “No Kings” protest.
Ithaca
Thousands gathered at Washington Park for the “No Kings” protest at a rally organized by Indivisible Tompkins. Indivisible Tompkins initially planned to end the rally with a march from Court Street to South Meadow Street, but did not organize one due to permitting restrictions. Despite the permitting restrictions, many community members marched to South Meadow Street separately from Indivisible Tompkins.
Ken McKinney, membership committee chair of Indivisible Tompkins, took the stage to announce that the event would not have a march and would stay in Washington Park. He said the City of Ithaca told Indivisible Tompkins three weeks before the event was announced publicly that they needed to obtain insurance and a permit for the march. He said their permit and insurance were continually delayed before being quoted for $10,000 by the city Oct. 16.
“That left us in discussion with our [insurance] partners … they were pretty sure that was an F-you price,” McKinney said. “Even if we could have produced $10,000 in a day, they would’ve found another reason.”
Assemblymember Anna Kelles spoke in front of the crowd to kick off the protest. In her speech, Kelles encouraged the community to support bills including the New York for All Act, Access to Representation Act and Dignity Not Detention Act that will help protect immigrants and their families.
“We need to demand that these bills are brought to the floor and voted on as a package so that they move and then we need the governor to sign them so that we are protecting immigrants in our communities, so that we are protecting the working class in our communities, so that we are protecting the environment in our communities,” Kelles said.
In place of a march, Indivisible Tompkins arranged for additional musical guests to perform at the event.
After the announcement, Ira McKinley, filmmaker and IC Dining Services staff member, stood up in opposition. McKinley said in an interview with The Ithacan the “No Kings” protest was more about gathering money and espousing corporatized beliefs than truly challenging the Trump administration.
“To me, this is bulls—t,” McKinley said. “What is this gonna lead to? It’s just like a bunch of White people that want to feel good [and] like they’re doing something. You don’t see many African Americans here, do you? … This is like a fair, you know, it’s not really about protest.”
Senior Jonah Barresi said he was disappointed in Indivisible Tompkins for not marching. He said people were going to march regardless of insurance or a permit and that their decision did not represent the people attending the event.
Barresi said he came out to protest because he wanted to defend his way of living and stand by his values.
“I basically don’t understand why you would be anywhere else,” Barresi said. “To stand by is to agree with what’s going on.”
Brandishing a sign that said “Puppets Against Fascism” in one hand and a Kermit the frog puppet in the other, playwright February Schneck ’25 said all forms of art, especially those made by queer artists, are currently under fire from the Trump administration. They said they believe artists have a role in dismantling broken political systems.
“It’s a staple of Nazism and fascism, the basic playbook of [shutting] down and [silencing] all voices, especially the artists,” Schneck said. “The artists are the people who provide hope and refuge and a space to express yourself.”
Police blocked off part of Clinton Street but left Meadow Street open to traffic. Some protesters went into the street blocking traffic, but were asked to move by Indivisible Tompkins volunteers and other protesters. An Ithaca Police Department patrol car pulled through without honking, almost hitting community member Angela McEnerney.
“[The police] don’t care, they’re angry,” McEnerney said.
Sheila Payne, a security team member who was one of Indivisible’s police liaisons, said in an interview with The Ithacan that police presence was not previously needed at Indivisible Tompkins’s protests because the organization has its own security, but the permitting restrictions of the “No Kings” protest required police presence.
“I think we should be in the street too,” Payne said. “The whole point is, the world is shutting down, we need to shut down, inconvenience people [and] cause a stink. But that’s not the way Indivisible does it.”
Roseanna Gecan, community member and activist, said they were a part of the group of protesters who blocked off Meadow Street but eventually moved due to pressure from Indivisible volunteers and other protesters.
“I think it’s ridiculous that we’re not actually blocking [Route] 13,” Gecan said. “I think that if we don’t disrupt in some way, then we’re not actually doing anything. We need to take action.”
The protest site in Washington Park was also an opportunity for people to learn about community-led initiatives in support of several causes central to the “No Kings” protests by visiting tables that hosted local activist groups and organizations. Laurie Konwinski, the coordinator of Catholic Charities’ Justice and Peace Ministry, tabled for a local immigrant solidarity group.
“We don’t benefit when there are groups that are marginalized and demonized and dehumanized; that makes all of us lesser,” Konwinski said. “So I think if this work helps remind us that we all have rights and that we should exercise those rights, I think it reinforces our democracy. … We have a lot more in common than we have that divides us.”
Amber Lia-Kloppel, a lecturer in the Department of Art, Art History and Architecture at Ithaca College, was at the protest with SEIU Contingent Faculty Union. Lia-Kloppel is a steward of the union’s chapter at IC. SEIU tabled at the event, collecting signatures from protest attendees to show their support.
Lia-Kloppel said that by being present at the protest, SEIU is trying to garner solidarity with the greater Ithaca community ahead of the next round of negotiations with college administration.
“I feel supporting unions at this time is one of the ways that we can band together as individuals in order to have more power in this space,” Lia-Kloppel said. “We rejected the idea of having a king in this country, and we rejected that sort of absolute power. And I feel like unions are particularly good at fighting with power. That’s what they’re there for.”
Washington D.C.
Senior Writer Ryan Johnson was in Washington D.C. for Media Fest and reported from the flagship protest.
On Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., thousands of protestors were dressed in yellow and donned inflatable costumes to protest President Donald Trump. The rally — organized by liberal advocacy groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and Indivisible — hosted speakers for the crowd from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., concluding with a speech from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Protestors began to gather around 11 a.m. on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Third Street. Local organizations like Free D.C., a non-profit committed to advancing racial justice for Black and brown D.C. natives and the right to self-determination, handed out posters and information about the movement.
Local volunteers in bright vests were positioned across the event to set up barricades and hand out “No Kings Day”-branded yellow bandanas. Ruth Hamilton, a 69-year-old D.C. resident who has lived in the city for 30 years, said everything that has happened during the Trump administration has driven her to protest in the streets.
“I needed to sign up and volunteer and not just come down and show up,” Hamilton said. “I live ten blocks away and will be here all day. … I’m hoping that it is 10 million people nationwide instead of 5 million, and I don’t know what kind of difference [the protest] will make, but it can’t hurt.”
Hamilton said she has a history of protesting in D.C. and that she attended the 2017 Women’s March, an event that led over 500,000 people to Washington, D.C. to protest. Hamilton said the “No Kings” protest feels different because it is nationwide.
“The fact that [“No Kings”] is happening in small towns, medium-sized towns, or wherever, people are just coming out,” Hamilton said. “People [are] self-organizing, that’s very different. … This is a movement that is happening across the country.”
Near the stage before the rally, Tara Hoot, a D.C.-based drag queen, held a sign that said “Less fascism, more fashion” while using a bubble gun. Hoot said she has come in drag to many protests in the area and protested Trump’s appearance during his first trip to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
“I stormed the Kennedy Center with some of my drag friends when he was there for the first time, so I thought it was important for me to show up today too,” Hoot said. “The amount of joy even just walking here. … It’s whimsy, it’s joyful and I wanted to bring some of that joy out here today.”
From 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., senators, liberal advocacy leaders and prominent media figures addressed the crowd.
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy said Trump is the most corrupt president in the history of the United States.
“He is enacting a detailed step-by-step plan to try to destroy all of the things that protect our democracy: free speech, fair democracy and independent press,” Murphy said. “But the truth is also this, he has not won yet.”
Murphy said that even though the government is shut down, Trump does not have the power to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement into cities or use the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice.
“Let me speak for myself for a moment about this shutdown,” Murphy said. “I will not vote for a budget that throws millions of people off their healthcare just to pay for a tax cut.”
To close the rally, Sanders thanked everyone around the country for attending the “No Kings” protest.
“Thank you to the millions of Americans from our smallest towns to our largest cities in every state in our country who are gathering today at thousands of rallies,” Sanders said.
News Editor Kaeleigh Banda and Assistant News Editor Eamon Corbo contributed reporting to the Ithaca protest.
