Just returned from the local No Kings protest.

[wnylib]

I'm in a small city in a rural, deep red Congressional district. People here are not much into social activism so I was surprised at the large turnout, especially since it rained this morning and the protest started at 11:00 am. It was a light, misty rain that fortunately stopped by 11:30. There were quite a few young people, from around 18 to 30 years old. Plus some oldsters like me.

The location was a park that's bordered by a very busy, two lane, one way street. We stood on both sides of the street with our signs. A traffic light at the end of the block meant that drivers had to slow down or stop, so they had a good chance to read the signs. We got a LOT of supportive responses from drivers going by -- horns honking, hands out of the window with thumbs up. A few people who saw on Facebook where the protest was located drove by in their cars swinging US flags and protest signs out the windows so that a couple times, it was almost like a parade.

I did not get any pictures, but some of the things I saw on posters were:

NO FAUX--KING WAY!

Quick, think now before it becomes illegal.

My poster had 3 short messages, with illustrations. First message was NO KINGS. Underneath it was a picture of Britain's King George III. Next to that the message was NO DICTATORS. Below it were two pictures, one of Mussolini and one of Stalin. Below those two messages was the third one: NO ROUNDUPS WITHOUT DUE PROCESS. Beside that message was a picture of Hitler in uniform.

There was one, lone Trump supporter. He was a tall, belligerent looking guy who cursed obscenities at the protesters while stopped for the red light. Then he got out of his truck and tried to pick a fight. The No Kings protesters immediately broke into a chant of "PEACEFUL PROTEST" over and over. The Trump supporter pulled his truck into a nearby parking lot, pulled out a large Trump flag -- the US flag with Trump's ugly mug desecrating it -- and marched up and down the sidewalk behind the No Kings protesters, waving the flag and screaming, "God Bless America! God Bless Donald Trump!" over and over. We easily drowned him out with "No Kings!"

I suggested to the organizer that, in the future for other protests, we should have a laugh track hooked up to a megaphone and play it it response to Trump supporters. He liked the idea and said he might do it next time.

[Scrivener7]

1. We had one guy, dressed all in black with a black

mask and a black backpack, and his pants pockets full of something. He walked up and down the line taking photos of the protesters. The cops, who were surprisingly supportive of the protesters, were clearly keeping an eye on him.

In the end, he was just some asshole trying to intimidate people.

[stillcool]

2. Sounds like I could have been at the same one!

but mine was a town in MA. Same cars with flags and signs, and so many really cute kids in the back seat waving their little signs with huge grins. So glad I went, and so glad you went! So glad we all went.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. Good idea, that, putting a laugh track on a loudspeaker. Boom box would work too, can have a variety of cassettes :) nt