By McKenna Horsley, Sarah Ladd, Jamie Lucke and Liam Niemeyer
Kentucky Lantern
Thousands of Kentuckians turned out under the autumn sun to protest President Donald Trump’s administration, some pointedly refuting Republican claims disparaging their motives.
In Lexington, Gracia O’Brien, 71, said “when folks in Congress said this was going to be a ‘hate America’ rally, I said ‘no, I love America.’ I want my grandchildren to know I stood up. I’m old, and I’ve never been scared for our democracy. I am now.”
Marsha Bezold, of Midway, hoisted a sign showing a U.S. flag and the words “Pro-America. Anti-Trump.” She cited multiple reasons for protesting, from “the dismantling of our Constitution” to coming cuts in health care that she said will hurt her family.
She said she thinks Trump’s goal is to intimidate Americans into silence while he grabs unprecedented power. “This is not the country I grew up in,” she said. “I think Ronald Reagan would be rolling over in his grave to see this.”
In Louisville, former Democratic U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth greeted a large crowd gathered on the Belvedere: “Hello all my fellow terrorists. Apparently that’s who the Republicans and the administration think we are: terrorists, antifa, violent criminals.”
Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer recently said Democrats would “rather cater to the pro-terrorist wing of their party than to reopen the government.” U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson described “No Kings” as a “hate America” rally
Yarmuth added that he thought the gathered crowd should show their “antifa membership cards” to Trump.
Protesters also rallied in smaller Kentucky towns. In Pikeville, a small crowd gathered, holding signs that said, among other things, “Hillbillies against Facism,” Mountain Top News reported. The Owensboro Times reported more than 500 people attended a downtown rally in the Daviess County seat. “The scene remained peaceful throughout the event.”
In Morehead, organizers reported “over 300 people and two dinosaurs” gathered for the “No Kings” rally. Speakers in the Rowan County seat included two Democrats running for U.S. Congress: attorney Ned Pillersdorf, who is hoping to unseat longtime Republican incumbent Rep. Hal Rogers, and Logan Forsythe, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell.
Inflatables and other costumes were in evidence at protests across Kentucky, a nod to the protesters wearing inflatable frog costumes to confront federal immigration agents in Portland, Oregon.
In Lexington, police blocked streets as thousands of protesters marched through downtown; observers said it was one of the largest demonstrations they had ever seen in Kentucky’s second-largest city.
Capitol rally in Frankfort
While the state Capitol is closed for renovation, protesters were able to peacefully gather on its steps. Similar demonstrations have been held at the site since Trump began his second term in January.
Dennis Van Horn, a Frankfort resident and veteran, listened to speakers on the Capitol lawn while holding a sign that said “No thrones, no crowns, no kings” — a chant that was heard throughout the day. He said Saturday’s crowd was twice the size of the first “No Kings” rally at the Capitol in June.
Van Horn said he wanted to attend Saturday’s protest “because (of) the anxiety from watching our president trash the Constitution, rule of law and take retribution on his enemies.”
“And that’s not the way it’s supposed to be,” he added.
Woodford County resident Alyssa Cumming and her dog, Cody, came to the No Kings rally at the Kentucky State Capitol to stand up for her friends and family who are immigrants. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)
Dennis Van Horn, a Frankfort resident and veteran, said he came to the “No Kings” rally at the Kentucky Capitol because of the anxiety he feels from the Trump administration’s actions. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)
John “Drew” Williams, left, a Democratic candidate challenging Republican U.S. Rep. James Comer in Kentucky’s 1st Congressional District, said the Frankfort rally was his second of the day after another event in Danville. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)
Woodford County resident Alyssa Cumming and her dog, Cody, came to the Capitol to stand for her friends and family who are immigrants but are afraid to make their voices heard at this time. Cumming and Cody attended protests earlier this year.
She raised concerns about the direction of the country, adding that “we’re not moving any closer to greatness right now.”
“I just feel like everybody can do something,” Cumming said. “I don’t have any political power other than my feet.”
Some politicians also joined the crowd. Speaking through a microphone, Democratic state Rep. Erika Hancock, of Frankfort, addressed the rally and was supportive of the group’s message.
“This No Kings rally is about reminding everyone in power that they serve the people, not the other way around,” she said to cheers.
John “Drew” Williams, a Democratic candidate challenging Republican U.S. Rep. James Comer in Kentucky’s 1st Congressional District, said the Frankfort rally was his second of the day after another event in Danville. Williams, who is from far West Kentucky, said it was important for him to be in Frankfort because of the town’s importance to the state and because Franklin County was added to the 1st Congressional District during redistricting. In Comer’s district, a thin line of counties along Kentucky’s southern border connects the state’s far western tip and the Mississippi River with Franklin and Boyle counties in Central Kentucky.
“This is what democracy looks like,” Williams said. “This is what the conversation needs to be, not just right now when we feel like there is a set of government overreach, but every year and every day.”
Rallying on the river
In Louisville, thousands gathered at the Belvedere, a grassy event space next to the Muhammed Ali Center in downtown Louisville, hearing from a range of elected officials and advocates after marching and chanting through the city streets.
Rebecca Elliott, of Louisville, watched marchers holding signs, including one that read: “Immigrant Rights Are Citizen’s Rights” — one of many signs that referenced the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics.
“The right of due process applies to all of us. So, if we allow people to start taking that right away from our immigrant neighbors, then we’re also going to end up not having it in the long run, too,” Elliott said. “I think we have to defend the more vulnerable people so that we can maintain our own rights.”
Other signs by protesters in Louisville referenced Trump’s executive orders, including one that designated antifa, a left-wing anti-facist political movement, as a domestic terrorist organization. Jamie and Brian Reichenbach came to the Louisville protest from Spencer County, holding a sign with the word antifa and an arrow pointing at themselves.
Jamie Reichenbach said given that the country fought fascism in the past, she wanted to show that “we’re antifa.”
“We stand for anti-fascism, which is what America was supposed to be,” Reichenbach said.
Brad Ector, of Louisville, who sported an inflatable dragon costume that was buffeted by the wind as he marched, said he didn’t “want Portland to have all the fun.”
“Just all the people in Portland that are there, pointing out the fact that they are not the terrorists that Trump wants us to believe,” Ector said.
“As far as the dragon goes, someone needs to melt ice,” Ector said, apparently referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.