Over 100 protestors lined up along West McCord Street next to Fairview Park in Centralia on Saturday morning to join the “No Kings” protest against the Donald Trump administration. Marion County Democrats organized this local protest, which was one of more than 2,500 demonstrations across the United States as part of the 50501 (“Fifty Fifty One”) movement. Protestors claim that President Donald Trump and members of the executive branch of the federal government have overstepped their authority and broken the law in the nine months since Trump’s inauguration.
Marion County Democrats chair Becki Parrett said that protestors are normal people who come out to raise their concerns.
“Just a lot of ordinary citizens,” Parrett said. “Grandmothers and grandfathers worried about the state of the country for their grandchildren. People who are retired, people who are working, just all kinds of ordinary citizens.”
Parrett highlighted economic concerns, including tariffs, among the issues raised at the only has (Trump) taken away the markets for the soybean farmers, he’s supporting Argentina with a $40 billion bailout, and Argentina is now selling soybeans to China.”
Other messages on protest signs included accusations of Trump being an authoritarian, calls to preserve democracy, free speech and human rights, and calls for Trump’s impeachment and removal from office. Many drivers passing by the protestors gave thumbs-ups and honks of support.
The No Kings website lays out the main message of the protests as an objection to authoritarianism, saying: “America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people.”
About 100 attend No Kings protest at Fairview Park in Centralia on Saturday. Photo by Austin Wlliams.
