Scenes from ‘No Kings’ No. 3 in Greater Lafayette
Crowds march in Lafayette, West Lafayette in one of thousands of protests across the country. One demonstrator: ‘There’s millions of people all over America who are voting with their feet'
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Coverage of Saturday’s “No Kings” events in downtown Lafayette and West Lafayette comes from BiL correspondents Ken Thompson and Vincent Walter.
SCENES FROM ‘NO KINGS’ NO. 3 IN GREATER LAFAYETTE
By Ken Thompson / For Based in Lafayette
Organizers of a No Kings March in Greater Lafayette, joining thousands of similar ones across the country, could not have asked for better weather than the sunny, moderate conditions Saturday.
While no official count was taken, Lisa Dullum, with Greater Lafayette Indivisible and a Tippecanoe County Council member, said Saturday’s event brought similar crowds “but better” than the previous two No Kings events in Greater Lafayette in June and October, aimed at putting up resistance during President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House.
“We did a better job, I think, organizing the march,” Dullum said. “We worked hard on that.”
Numerous volunteers with bullhorns helped guide participants from West Lafayette’s Tapawingo Park to the John T. Myers Pedestrian Bridge just before 1 p.m. for the walk around the Tippecanoe County Courthouse in downtown Lafayette. Marchers continued back across the bridge to Tapawingo Park, some chanting, “No Trump. No KKK. No fascist USA.”
Neither West Lafayette nor Lafayette police departments reported any incidents related to the demonstration.
“No issues whatsoever,” West Lafayette Police Chief Adam Ferguson said, checking himself by saying someone injured an ankle from a fall inside the Wabash Landing parking garage stairwell just before the event. “But other than that, no issues. Very peaceful.”
In a statement, the Lafayette Police Department reported the No Kings demonstration “concluded peacefully and without incident.” No arrests nor significant disturbances were reported in connection with the event.
“In advance of the event, LPD coordinated closely with the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s office, Purdue police, West Lafayette police and event organizers. That planning and cooperation helped endure the demonstration was conducted safely,” LPD said in a statement. “We appreciate the professionalism of our partner agencies, the cooperation of organizers and the lawful conduct of those who participated. Our department remains committed to supporting public safety while protecting the constitutional rights of community members to gather and express their views.”
Persons of all ages, some wearing Revolutionary War replica costumes and many carrying homemade signs, were in attendance. Even some with limited mobility made their way to downtown Lafayette to express their feelings about President Donald Trump and his administration.
“People have the power,” River Karner, one participant, said. “You get enough people together, people can change the course of whatever is going on. For me, it’s important to be a part of that body all across the world. There’s so many other countries besides the United States that are holding No Kings rallies today. All in defiance of Trump and his regime. It is important to lend one’s voice when you are trying to make change.
“I think the message will get through,” Karner said. “I don’t know if it will change his course, but it will change our course.”
Justin Kendall, a Lafayette resident running as one of four Democrats in the May primary for Tippecanoe County commissioner, argued that while Trump says America First, it’s really about putting himself ahead of the people.
“I’m here because it’s clear we have a narcissist in office,” Kendall said. “He’s putting his face on everything, his name on everything. Everything is about him. Every topic that comes up he swings it back around to him. For an actual leader, it should be about the country and not about himself.”
For Jonathan Neal, of Lafayette, he said he believed change must begin with Tippecanoe County.
“We have too many people in office in this county that are just mailing it in,” Neal said. “They are not thinking about the future; they’re stuck in the past and want to do things the way they’ve always been done. That can’t work for a county that’s growing rapidly in population and the issues that come with that.”
Joe Palmer and his wife, Maryann, attended their third No Kings event, including one in Akron, Ohio.
“I’m not alone,” Joe Palmer said. “There’s millions of people all over America who are voting with their feet against this administration, against the toadies in his cabinet, against the Congress which is absolutely worthless. These demonstrations are all about that.”
The threat to the United States’ nearly 250-year democracy, and “a lot of anger and unhappiness about things that are going on in our capital,” was enough to prompt Barbara Dixon to attend.
“I hope this sends a message to the people who have been elected,” Dixon said. “There are a lot of people who are unhappy. They are not going to get re-elected unless they do something about the person in the White House who is a bully and is making lots of really bad decisions, the latest of which is bombing Iran. But there were plenty more before that. He’s not protecting our Constitution. He’s not protecting democracy.”
One of the speakers at Tapawingo Park following the march was Matt Gyure, who focused on justice delayed.
“The moral arc of the universe is long but it bends toward justice when we bend it,” Gyure said. “I think we in this country have a pretty poor history of bending that arc. It’s understandable when there’s moments of unpleasantness. We want that to pass and move on. You don’t want to think about it. When you don’t explore the reasons why that happened you’re doomed to find yourself right back where it started.”
Later in his speech, Gyure said he is looking forward to November’s mid-term elections and putting candidates in office who will use their power to serve justice.
“It is irresponsible and ahistorical to assume that merely losing an election will do anything to quell this fascist contingent,” Gyure said. “They need to face consequences. Not for petty revenge but for those who came before us and those who come next. For the sake of a functional society and to fulfill the potential of our democracy, we cannot accept a half-hearted response. That is why all of us here are not off the hook in November. Once we all vote, we need to stay engaged. We need to be on the front lines for the push for justice.”
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