This story was originally published on KCUR 89.3.
Thousands of protesters gathered in Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza, Lee’s Summit, Topeka and other cities to protest the actions of the Trump administration.
Hundreds of those gathered in Kansas City marched down West 47th Street, around the Plaza and then north up Broadway Boulevard. More protesters lined the sidewalks around Mill Creek Park with signs reading “No Kings,” “Dump Trump,” “Only king we crown is Elvis” and other slogans criticizing the president.
The “No Kings” moniker is a pushback against Trump’s defiance of court orders, sweeping cuts to government services and massive deportation efforts.
Protesters who attended 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis told KCUR’s reporters that the “No Kings” turnout felt at least as large as the biggest 2020 gathering. Indivisible KC founder Beverly Harvey said 10,000 people had come out for the protest despite high heat and humidity, and KCUR reporting confirmed thousands.
“It’s overwhelming, but, you know what? It’s wonderful,” said Harvey. “I hope it sends a clear and concise message to Republicans and to the person occupying the White House –– that American citizens are not going to be ruled by a dictator, a wannabe dictator, a king or a monarch.”
The demonstrators were united by anger at Trump’s policies and his attacks against marginalized communities.
Nancy Kuehler, 68, came to the protest from Overland Park.
“I’m mad as hell, and I’m not gonna take it anymore,” she said, a reference to the 1976 film “Network.” “This is not right, and too many people are being bought out by the billionaires. We must protect those that cannot take care of themselves.”
Overland Park had its own protest that drew hundreds, as did Lee’s Summit and other suburbs, stretching south to Joplin. The protest in St. Louis also drew thousands, despite intermittent rain.
Protesters chanted, “Whose streets? Our streets,” “No justice, no peace” and “No ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), no KKK, no fascist USA.”
Ben Neal from Kansas City attended Saturday’s protests to encourage people to join local organizing and advocacy groups.
“We need people that have compassion in their hearts, that have time and energy to contribute to build this movement,” Neal said. “That’s why we’re out here, is trying to talk to people who aren’t plugged in yet and get them plugged in.”
Neal’s concerns stretched beyond Trump’s administration. He said billionaires and corporations — “the whole capitalist system”— create conditions that hurt working-class people.
“There are not enough billionaires, there are not enough corporations, there are not enough police and ICE agents to stop this movement that we are building,” he said.
Sharon Vantuyl, 77, from Kansas City, has been attending protests at Mill Creek Park since her husband was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. Her companion at Saturday’s protest was Mr. Bones: a skeleton sitting in a walker chair with a sign that read, “I am your national parks. Death from a thousand cuts.”
Vantuyl, an avid visitor of national parks, is worried they won’t survive the Trump administration.
“Now Trump’s talking about leasing or selling off public land and we can’t get that back,” she said. “You don’t get that back after they log it, after they mine it. And that’s very concerning to me.”
The mood Saturday afternoon was uplifting. Some protesters played instruments and sang songs between frequent chants. Others passed out face masks, water bottles and food.
Myka Lawson, 43, brought her daughter, Hadley Lawson, 15, to her first protest on Saturday. She said she wanted to show her daughter what democracy looks like.
“I can’t say that I stand for something and not do anything about it when something is threatening it,” Hadley said. “I want to be able to see democracy live after my entire life and not be threatened by some person. I want to see my kids be able to do this kind of thing.”
Police presence was minimal, though Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe activated the National Guard to be on standby for protests this weekend — a move criticized by local officials.
Lorie Kellogg, an Indivisible KC volunteer, sat in a lawn chair with a cardboard caricature of a shirtless Trump with a taco head and diaper. Kellogg called her creation the “Trump taco king” and gave it a taco head because “Trump always chickens out.”
Kellogg highlighted the powerlessness that has gridlocked Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate since the beginning of Trump’s second term.
“Every executive order that Trump has tried to push out, most of them have been unconstitutional, (il)legal and have been stamped down by the courts, thankfully,” she said. “But that’s all we have right now, is the courts to keep him under control.”
Dax Wasser, a 54-year-old Kansas City resident, called the protest “amazing,” “peaceful” and “diverse.”“It’s a good feeling to be here,” he said. “I feel connected to everybody here fighting for democracy.”
For Harvey, the “No Kings” protest was the only beginning. “We’re gonna protest, and these protests are only going to grow. So get ready,” she said.
Maya Cederlund, a KCUR intern, contributed to this story.
