Scene from the October 18 ‘No Kings’ protest at Ashley Pond hosted by Indivisible Los Alamos. Courtesy photo
Drone view of the ‘No Kings’ protest October 18 at Ashley Pond in Los Alamos. Courtesy photo
INDIVISIBLE LOS ALAMOS NEWS RELEASE
As President Trump expands his authoritarian powers, The No Kings 2.0 protests sent the very clear message that, “We don’t do kings in America”.
On October 18, approximately 480 Los Alamos residents joined with an estimated 7 million Americans across the country in some 2700 separate locations for the second nationwide day of nonviolent “No Kings” protest. This is likely the largest single-day, multi-location protest event in US history. It is also the largest single-day protest we know of in Los Alamos.
Not only was the Los Alamos protest large, it embodied our values. It was good-natured, personal, and upbeat, while delivering serious messages.
There were a number of notable features of the two No Kings protests. A huge mass movement has spoken on a fundamental American value: representative, not authoritarian, government. A “big tent” has been united in a common cause and, simultaneously, the protests voiced a spectrum of individuals’ concerns about Donald Trump’s attacks on Americans, the rule of law, and democracy itself.
The No Kings website summarizes President Trump’s attacks on America this way:
“President Trump’s … administration is sending masked agents into our streets, terrorizing our communities. They are targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting, and detaining people without warrants. Threatening to overtake elections. Gutting healthcare, environmental protections, and education when families need them most. Rigging maps to silence voters. Ignoring mass shootings at our schools and in our communities. Driving up the cost of living while handing out massive giveaways to billionaire allies, as families struggle.”
We would add the following to Indivisible’s short list:
used lies and propaganda to manipulate the public
No Kings (https://www.nokings.org/), in addition to the two protests (so far), has launched a movement. The movement is an alliance of more than 250 organizations (https://www.nokings.org/partners), including ACLU, Climate First, Coalition on Human Rights, Indivisible, Jewish Voice for Peace, League of Women Voters, Moms Rising Together, and Physicians for Social Responsibility, among many others.
violated our Constitution and laws
constructed a regime composed of poorly qualified, mindlessly loyal supporters
dismantled government watchdogs
circumvented Congress and the courts
conducted mass firings with no rational plan
gutted scientific research
stoked divisions by race, culture, and political beliefs
destroyed programs devoted to health and well-being
disrupted foreign alliances and the world’s balance of power
used governmental power to intervene in academic, business, and personal affairs
politicized the Department of Justice
American’s constitutional rights and values are being eroded by the illegitimate “rights” and corrupt desires claimed by a self-declared King.
It will take an enormous effort from dedicated Americans to stem the tide of the Trump regime’s increasingly entrenched, authoritarian government. We of Indivisible Los Alamos urge you to join us in resisting in every peaceful and meaningful way that we can find.