Organizers are calling Saturday’s nationwide protests the largest in American history. As of the following Monday, local police had yet to confirm the final tally of protesters, estimated between 7,000 by news accounts and 10,000 by rally coordinators. The national turnout was estimated at about eight million people.
It was the third No Kings event since June of last year. Since the last march in October, President Donald Trump has added an unpopular war in Iran that’s so far killed more than 15,000 people, including 13 U.S soldiers.
The political and economic ramifications at home have prompted a 20 percent hike in gas prices adding 62 cents to a regular gallon of gas at the pump.
The rally came as the second longest government shutdown in American history has left travelers waiting in hours-long Transportation and Safety Administration lines at busier airports.
That is just one of the mounting number of issues, including climbing prices on everyday products, most notably groceries, that is spurring people to join protests in their own communities.
This time they were more vocal, more profane, and more determined to share their frustrations.
“You know, prices of everything have gone through the roof with these silly tariffs that make no sense to nobody…” said 60 year-old Keith Fields. “Price of gas for, you know, a war of choice. I mean, where do you want me to start?”
Fields works in business development and admitted he has never voted for Trump. He was one of the thousands who bared the biting cold to line the half-mile stretch along Erie Boulevard between East Genesee Street to Kinne Road.
One of the organizers of the No King rallies, estimated the total turnout much higher at 10,000 people. Since President Trump returned to office a year ago, she sees the community entering survival mode.
“Their national grid bills are going up. The price of food has gone up. The cost of gas has gone up,” Tammy Honeywell ticked off frustrations on one hand. The president of Syracuse Democratic Socialists of America continued, “...the price of rent, because of the housing crisis that we have here, that has gone up.”
Honeywell recently marched following the rejection of the ‘Good Cause Eviction Law’ by the Syracuse common council a little over a month ago, a measure many have claimed would ease the housing crisis
Standing with the protestors, Cora True-Frost gripped the handles of her son’s wheelchair as she spoke.
“The aggressive enforcement of immigration law, and disregard for civil liberties, all endanger our constitution, and my son Leo is someone who has severe disabilities like many people in the country and who require support,” she said.
True-Frost has found attaining those supports difficult because of the administration’s policies and lack of support.
Many protestors came out in full costume, including an ANTIFA minuteman wearing a 1776 tricorn hat, a No Kings knight in a full suit of armor, and plenty of inflatable dinosaur costumes.
A choir of more than a dozen singers stood on a small knoll and belted protest songs, setting a haunting sound track to a cacophony of chants, shouts and horns from passing cars. Aside from those with outfits, people of every age, gender, and economic background also participated. Some brought their pets, others brought their children.
It was difficult finding Trump supporters among the thousands, aside from a rare vehicle shouting and gesturing crude opposition. We did find a former MAGA voter, Pat, (who gave no last name) carried a TDS poster, only his had a twist.
“My sign says we have TDS, Trump Dictator Syndrome.” It’s a play on the MAGA claim that rally goers have Trump Derangement Syndrome.
“More than a decade ago, I was fresh out of college and just kind of influenced by my parents,” he recalled of his 2016 vote, “and [I] just kind of went along with what I grew up with my whole life. And that was voting for Donald Trump.”
Over the course of Trump's first term, he became disillusioned.
“When he started saying there would not be a peaceful transition of power if he were to lose. I thought that was a huge red flag,” Pat said. “There were other things during his presidency, like his support during the Unite the Right rally, saying that there were good people on both sides when a lot of the people there were neo-Nazis and far-right extremists.”
Syracuse NAACP president, Gwendolyn Muok, has seen a parallel between the No Kings movement and the civil rights protests from decades ago.
“Everybody needs to be out here because our democracy is on the line and we need to stand up and march and listen. It happened in the 60s, so we need to make it happen again.”
Organizers say their eyes are firmly on the midterms, where democrats hope to take advantage of the administration’s 36% approval rating to attain a rare super majority, and potentially impeach the president.
