North Charleston, South Carolina – On Saturday afternoon, more than 2,000 protestors gathered for the No Kings National Day of Action.
The 50-50-1 People’s Movement took to the streets as part of the ‘No Kings National Action Day’ to draw attention to concerns that some believe undermine democracy and to emphasize that power belongs to the people.
“I am a patriot.” “I believe in this country,” 50-50-1 South Carolina organizer Anne Ostapiej stated. “I joined the Marine Corps because I believe in our country. I still believe in our democratic republic, that we are a decent, loving, and healthy nation. But we’ve been overrun by prejudice and hatred.”
Organizers carried signs and conveyed their message about why they are dissatisfied with the current administration.
“Our country is completely out of control.” Dan Knapp stated.
“If someone doesn’t have good morals and values, they shouldn’t be running our country,” Natalie Howe told the crowd.
The issues spanned from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and immigration policy to LGBTQ+ rights, but the fury was mostly directed at President Donald Trump and his policies.
“We’ve got a president who ignores the Constitution,” Justin Healy remarked. “He doesn’t even up to the challenge of ignoring it; it’s irrelevant to him. We have goons out on the streets wearing masks, putting people into vehicles and driving away with them. “That’s a bad indicator.”
Protesters stated the protest gave them hope because so many of their fellow community members were fighting for the same movement.
“I’m here advocating for these issues for other women, for mothers, for young families, for working families.” Michelle Brandt stated.
The protest remained peaceful, with many participants stating that it was about displaying love for our nation and speaking up when you believe something is wrong.
“It’s not scary. This is not hate. This is genuine affection for our country and for all people. Maria Gmitro explained.
“We should love and help each other, do good for one another, and forgive our adversaries. And that’s the message we need to spread.” Faye Davis stated.
Following these rallies across the country, ‘No Kings’ will convene a virtual visibility event on October 21 to celebrate and discuss the movement’s next steps.
