The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects five rights of the people, with one of them being the right to assemble peacefully and another being the right to petition the government. Oct. 18 saw many citizens exercising their rights, with “No Kings” protests taking place all over the United States, including in Ventura, Calif., at the Ventura County Government Center Hall of Justice, near the intersection of Victoria Avenue and Telephone Road.
Community members remarked on their inspirations for attending the event.
“I’m afraid of what’s happening to our country economically, and democracy is going away very rapidly, and I think that if enough of us get out here, we can make a difference,” Fran Stewart, a participant, said.
Some of the protesters also commented on the influence of historical events on their motivations for attending the event and advocating for what they believe in.
An anonymous participant pointed out the circumstances surrounding the birth of the United States as a reason for their engagement.
“[The reason] why our country was founded was that King George [III] gave a tax cut to the East India Tea Company so that they didn’t have to pay the taxes, and the colonists had to pay the taxes, and then we said no, that’s not fair. We want representative government,” they said.
The rally evoked more personal stories for others. Michael Tiffany described how his family’s experience in pre-World War II Europe helped shape his appreciation of democratic freedoms.
“My mother was born in Budapest, grew up in Berlin from 1930 to 1939 as a Jew … They were rounded up and taken to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp … When we were children, she told us very often that we didn’t know how lucky we were … Now I know what she meant … We’re lucky to be able to do this, to peacefully assemble to petition the government,” Tiffany said.
Cindy Crispin, another protester, explained how her participation was tied to her belief in defending America’s democracy.
“We are a republic. We don’t have a monarchy. We got rid of them in 1776 when we got rid of England in our country. [President] Trump wants to be a dictator king, and we’re not going to have that around,” she said.
Attendees also shared ways that everyone can speak up and make a difference for issues they care about.
“Spreading the word on social media is a good idea in today’s day and age, just because that’s where information spreads the fastest. I think showing up for things like this, reposting stuff on social media [and] being involved in the community on social media is pretty important,” Carmella Calire, a high school student, said.
“You need to write your congressman, you have to call the government, your senator … You have to make a lot of noise,” attendee Nora Stewart said.
“Just show up, just speak about it. And do it in a kind way [that doesn’t] imitate what’s happening on Capitol Hill,” Doreen Palermo said.
“Silence often is interpreted as agreement, so I try to teach [my kids] that if somebody says … something racist, somebody says something anti-immigrant, anti-trans, somebody says anything like that, I try to encourage them to speak up. Because if you don’t, then everybody else in the room thinks that you agree, thinks it’s not a problem,” Elliott Rodriguez said.
Some also commented on the impact of the energy and atmosphere of the event on the scene.
“It just helps lift everybody’s spirits because there’s so much bad news that it’s just nice to know that there are others that … think the same way you do and have the same feelings that you do,” Palermo said.
Some participants also mentioned the effects that current events have on future generations, commenting on the abilities people have to make a difference.
“[In the ‘60s] it was a movement of younger people, and it seems like there’s a lot of older people now that are concerned, and I wish more younger people would get involved,” Fran Stewart said.
“Democracy is dying, and [people] have to speak up. I’m doing it for my daughter, for my grandchildren. For [the younger] generation,” Crispin said.
“We don’t need war in the streets amongst people. It’s the division that is being caused … by [one man’s] rhetoric and his decisiveness to separate our country, between the color of our skin, between black and white, between rich and poor,” Rhonda Boyle said.
Though their exact reasons for attending varied, the participants in the “No Kings” protest came together to advocate for their shared beliefs and desire to make a difference through peaceful protest and petition.
