Saturday, members of the Emporia community, and some from beyond it, joined millions of others across the nation in a demonstration protesting the actions and policies of the current presidential administration.
Fremont Park played host to the local addition of the No Kings rally effort, which has been a rapidly developing movement across the nation.
The effort protests actions by the Trump administration with organizers saying the federal government has defied court rulings, illegally deported or “disappeared” people, cut services and rolled the clock back on civil rights. One demonstrator took the microphone Saturday and called many of these listed actions a “betrayal to our country” before asking an important question.
This was just one of the many speakers who took to the stage at Fremont Saturday to share their feelings, thoughts and desires for the country. One such individual noted that while the protest, and those like it around the nation, were centered on actions at the federal level, it is all lawmakers who must be held accountable by the people.
Another of Saturday’s speakers stated that as people, we have both rights and responsibilities not only to one another but the world we inhabit. They then impressed on the importance of embracing those responsibilities.
The demonstration did encounter some opposition, which many of the demonstrators acknowledged, one in fact stated that some were happy to have the demonstration while some were not, “And that’s okay.”
Saturday’s rally in Emporia was one of 15 across the state of Kansas, with thousands more occurring simultaneously around the nation. As mentioned, there was some opposition to the demonstration in attendance; however, no physicality or violence ensued as a result and no police intervention was required.
The same could not be said for other demonstrations across the nation, as many national news outlets reported scenes of violence, including in northern Virginia, where an SUV drove through a crowd of protestors, injuring at least one demonstrator. In Los Angeles, police reportedly clashed with protestors, with tear gas being deployed and crowds being ordered to disperse, with officers claiming they were responding to individuals throwing bricks and debris.
