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Americans across the country took to their city streets Saturday to participate in the “No Kings” and “Kick Out the Clowns” protests — State College was no different.
The No Kings Day of Defiance is an effort to reject authoritarianism and “show the world what democracy really looks like,” according to its website. Kick Out the Clowns reflects “the absurdity of the MAGA regime and the clowns who lead it,” according to the Women’s March, which spearheaded the nationwide effort. Both protests countered President Donald Trump’s military parade in Washington D.C.
The “No Kings” protest began at 1 p.m. in front of the Allen Street Gates, drawing hundreds of community members and children of all ages. American, Pride, Palestinian and Ukrainian flags flew as protesters held signs reading, “It’s so bad, even introverts are here,” “No kings, no dictators since 1776” and “Fight for truth today.”
Protestors yelled chants like “Hey, hey, ho, ho, billionaires have got to go,” “This is what democracy looks like” and “This is not normal.”
One protester, Kimberly Wilsoncroft, said she wanted to use her voice when and where she could.
“I always like coming out to protest when I can,” Wilsoncroft, a graduate student at Slippery Rock University, said. “It’s just nice to feel that hope.”
She said it’s important for people to use their First Amendment rights as they’re currently “under attack.”
“Students are being bagged off the street for writing things in their college newspapers,” said Wilsoncroft, referring to Rumeysa Ozturk, who was detained by ICE after co-writing an op-ed for Tufts Daily.
Luke Dubec said it’s troubling for him to see the state of the country under the current president.
“I feel like the tyranny is being treated as the new normal, and I don’t want that to continue,” Dubec, a graduate student studying psychology, said. “I’m glad that, across all 50 states, everyone is making clear that this is not normal and it’s not okay.”
Dubec said he also attended the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and was met with discouragement then, as well as on Saturday. Still, he said it’s important for people to participate in them.
“I think that it’s important for people to realize that this kind of peaceful protest is what democracy is all about, and what our freedom of speech is all about,” Dubec said.
During the protest, organizers would walk around the crowd chanting and allow attendees to take the megaphone for a moment and share sentiments with the crowd.
Immediately following, the Kick Out the Clowns protest started in the same place at 2 p.m. A speaker discussed the current war between Ukraine and Russia while sharing stories, playing music and educating the crowd.
Benjamin Kelsey, from Knoxville, Tennessee, was visiting State College over the weekend and decided to come out to the protests.
Kelsey said people have “a breaking point” when it comes to funding cuts to essential government services.
“We have a kid, and we have nieces and nephews, friends and family and everybody that needs protection,” Kelsey said.
Kelsey said he hopes the series of national protests today can show how deeply unpopular what’s going on truly is and that people aren’t just going to sit by idly and watch what happens.
Lauren, who preferred to go by her first name only, shared this sentiment, saying the county’s marginalized communities, single mothers and those with disabilities are struggling, and “it’s not okay.”
“We should be protecting our people, not making it so hard to live,” Lauren said.
Community member Brianna Woomer said she is currently pregnant and has a daughter at home as well, and that being a woman in this country now is a “joke.”
“I want a world and a country where my daughters can grow up the way they should,” Woomer said.
During the protest Lauren held a sign with a Mark Twain quote: “It is curious that physical courage should be so common and moral courage so rare.”
“We never have a lot of moral courage… There’s so many people out there that are hurting and they just turn and look the other way,” Lauren said. “We should all be united and love each other. I was hoping this would remind people that moral courage is just as important as physical courage.”
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