From marching on the Capital in Washington D.C. to the Boston Common and the streets of Providence, RWU students took part in the many “No Kings” protests happening across the nation on Saturday, October 18th.
Olivia Siegel, a Junior at RWU, attended the protest in Providence where she marched with the crowd around the city to the state house with a few friends and a megaphone.
“It made me feel so hopeful to see all of these working class people being so educated on democracy and the constitution. I did a chant through a megaphone, saying ‘Show me what democracy looks like’ and the crowd called back ‘This is what democracy looks like,’”
Olivia and her friends made it to the state house, where she heard from multiple speakers and learned the real purpose of the protest.
“The media is portaying this as anti-Trump or republican, but after being at the protest first hand, it is not about that at all. It is about the unconstitutionality and lack of due process with I.C.E, the destruction of the middle class, anti-elites, big pharma, big tech and billionaires.”
She also had the chance to meet David Morales, a mayoral candidate for Providence where she discovered his anti I.C.E grassroots campaign. Olivia stressed the importance of understanding what “No Kings” is really about.
“No kings means no kings at all, not just trump.” She said.
In Boston, Massachusetts, senior Grayson Philbrick met up with his brother to attend the protest on the Boston Common. Grayson was impressed with how well organized it was, and says, “The speakers and organizers were very adamant about the importance of a peaceful protest.”
He witnessed activist booths set up to encourage the public to get involved with their community as well as a main stage where he watched musical performances and listened to Mayor Wu, Senators Warren, Markey and others speak.
“There were a lot of references to Boston’s connection to 1776, the Revolutionary War, and their thoughts on kings. I saw a few reenactors wearing Continental Soldier garb to the event.” He said. Grayson also saw many protestors in different inflatable costumes following the Portland, Oregon protests, where a federal officer sprayed chemicals at a protester in an inflatable frog costume, which has since gone viral. “I loved seeing the rise of the frog as a symbol of resistance.”
As a designer and artist, Grayon loved “seeing all of the creative work that came from the protest, signs, costumes, and installations. I was also surprised to see a large amount of AI art being used on signs, something which I expect less from a party that I associate more with the preservation of the arts.”
Surrounded by the support and peaceful crowds, he says, “This was the most patriotic I have felt in a long time. It definitely evoked a sense of unity and reinforced that we’re not alone in the ways that we feel about the world around us.”
Unity seems to be the major theme of each location of the protests. Henry Siravo, a sophomore and president of the Campus Democrats club, described his experience attending “No Kings” in Providence as “a surreal experience. Times can feel dark right now, but being surrounded by so many strangers, across ages, races, genders, walks of life and whatever else, but united for a common cause was not only heartening but strengthening.”
Alexa Benson-Amarante attended the protest in Washington D.C. with the Hawks Herald on their conference trip. Where thousands of people marched on the streets leading up to the capitol. Signs that read “Workers over Billionaires,” “No Kings, Yasss Queens,” and “Power Belongs to the People” were held up over our heads for everyone to see. The atmosphere was charged with emotion, music was playing and people were chanting, “Free D.C.”
Alex says “It felt very fun because I’ve been to other protests that are very heavy. I liked that there was music and dancing and jokes. I loved reading the signs that’s always the best part and it feels like seeing a thousand little inside jokes and comment sections but in real life. And seeing all the people that agree with me. You don’t often see that in real life, people being so outward.”
In terms of safety, everyone from each location agreed on how secure they felt. Grayson said, “With the amount of violence at protests you hear about in the news, I did have my concerns. This was eased upon getting there by the overwhelming support and unity of the crowd for working towards the betterment of the country.”
“Being at the protest made me feel safe, empowered, and hopeful.” Oliva said about Providence.
Alexa expressed similar feelings as well. “I honestly didn’t see much security and there was obviously a very large crowd but I didn’t feel that anyone looked or felt unsafe. There was only one person with a MAGA hat on but even he seemed really respectful. He was just talking to people so I didn’t even really feel threatened by him.”
