Drums, chants and conversation filled the air during Ames’ Oct. 18 “No Kings” Protest at O’Neil Park, with estimated attendance around 1,500.
Saturday marked the second national protest against the Trump Administration. The “No Kings” movement began as a response to the military parade held June 14, coinciding with President Donald Trump’s birthday. Demonstrations took place across the country, including a protest in Ames on the same day.
Laura Teske and Wendy Phillips are members of the Democracy Every Day organization, one of three grassroots organizations that plan the Ames “No Kings” protests.
“We are a grassroots organization, we started a little over a year ago, in response to Project 2025, and helping to educate people on what that was and what it meant for voting… We started because we knew rallies were going to happen nationally, and we felt like there should be something in a city the size of Ames,” Teske said.
The League of Women Voters and Indivisible Ames also helped organize the protests, which began at 1 p.m. with featured local speakers and ended around 3 p.m. with a March.
As 1 p.m. rolled around, more and more cars showed up with families, college students and older adults ready to make their voices heard. Local grassroots organizations had tables lining the park, taking donations for the local food pantry and registering people to vote.
Other tables provided spaces for people to design signs and bracelets. People gathered in a circle and began drumming, with another individual chanting into a megaphone.
While “No Kings” is centered around many points such as environmental protection, education, free speech and healthcare, much of the conversation centers around the Trump Administration’s immigration policies and ICE presence in larger cities.
“In June, ICE wasn’t grabbing people off the streets; now they are. In June, they weren’t sending the National Guard into cities; now they are,” Teske said.
While the people interviewed had not been impacted personally by ICE raids, there was an overwhelming sentiment of solidarity.
“Even though it shouldn’t be a thing, people do see color,” Aspyn Smith, an Iowa State senior majoring in business analytics, said. “So being white, you need to stand up for the ‘little guy’ because in history we have always had the upper hand… I don’t want to talk for people of color, but I want to stand up for them.”
Kenneth Murry, a Slater resident, showed up to the rally donning a frog costume, something he was inspired to wear following videos released of Portland residents protesting ICE while wearing inflatable frog costumes. Murry believes that immigration has impacted everyone.
Murry emphasized the fact that immigrants often hold jobs that others do not want, such as working on farms and in meat-packing plants.
“I think that every immigrant should be legal here and I wish that a president, prior to Trump, would have made everyone legal,” Murry said.
Murry also said immigrants play an active role in the U.S., performing civic duties expected of citizens.
“They pay taxes, but they don’t reap the benefits,” Murry said.
All ages were present at the rally; however, a large majority of attendees were middle-aged and older. Many Iowa State Students present wished to remain anonymous for fear of backlash from parents, police or the general public upon finding out about their political beliefs.
“I think older people have been around longer, so they maybe understand what’s going on and why it’s so important to be active,” Henry Yoder, a sophomore majoring in animal ecology, said. “I think that there’s a good number of people that are afraid, especially college students, that might be afraid of repercussions from being here, and that’s completely understandable.”
Yoder is most concerned about the Trump Administration’s treatment of the queer community.
“I have a lot of trans friends, and seeing them be hated and vilified for just being themselves, I think, deserves a lot of backlash because they’re not hateful people,” Yoder said. “They’re loving people, and they’re people like the rest of us that deserve love and support.”
Dissenters were hard to find at the rally, but Iowa State organizations such as the campus ministry, The Navigators and Turning Point USA were present, not to counterprotest, but to speak with those at the rally.
Iowa State Turning Point USA President Trahyger Carey, Vice President Isaiah Alexander and member Sophia Drees attended the “No Kings” protest, not in an official capacity, and not to debate attendees, but to interview them and ask them what they like and dislike about the Trump Administration.
“We talk with people we disagree with and we’re respectful and we want to find that middle ground, we want to find where we can agree,” Alexander said.
Many attendees at the rally were concerned about First Amendment rights infringement by the Trump Administration. Alexander noted that Turning Point’s platform is based around debate and fully supports the First Amendment.
“Amongst conservatives, there is a lot of divide; some of us are critical of Trump, some of us like him a lot… there is some validity to the concerns [about the First Amendment],” Alexander said.
Alexander does not speak for the Iowa State Turning Point chapter, but noted that he does not support all that the Trump Administration does.
“I would describe [Trump] as an authoritarian. I don’t think being an authoritarian is necessarily bad; there’s historically been really good authoritarian leaders who did good things,” Alexander said.
Alexander disagrees with those who call Trump a fascist; however, as a constitutionalist, he is wary of Trump’s use of executive orders.
“When you have somebody who takes that authoritarian tactic, they do tend to push the boundaries,” Alexander said. “For me, one particular thing is [Trump] challenging things that are in the Constitution with an executive order.”