No Kings 2.0: Bigger, Longer, Uncut
The nation sent a message to Trump. No matter how much he denies it, the people are turning against him.
We’ve had a few days since the second No Kings march and, if the size mood of the marches around the country are any indication, it won’t be the last.
Here in Portland, the spirit of the day was evident long before the march itself. The Max Trains (Portland’s light rail public transit) were full to the Max starting early in the day, transporting marchers downtown in anticipation of the rally and march.
I should probably refer to them as “marches,” because there were several parade routes that converged in Waterfront Park and then marched through the city.
The overall crowd was estimated at 40,000 but that seemed to be a very conservative estimate. (I attended a speech from then candidate Obama in 2008 in the same location, and this weekend’s crowd not only took up much more space in Waterfront Park but also spread out all over different parts of downtown and of the city itself.
The iconic frog inflatable has clearly inspired lots of folks with lots of other kinds of inflatable creatures. We happened upon a staging area, where people could get themselves inflated:
Portland earned its “Bridgetown” nickname, with the bridges being used both as perches for spectators and as parade routes for the feeder marches:
Even the downtown parking garages served as viewing areas:
There was even enthusiasm in the lines to the Porta-Potties:
Even the late, great Darcelle found a place in the march, more than two years after her death:
So what’s next? More protests seem inevitable, of course.
But it feels like it’s time to bypass Trump with our protests and go directly and relentlessly after members of Congress. They’re the ones who have it in their power to affect change. They have just been too beholden to Trump to do so. But if we strategically target them one by one, there’s a good chance we can coerce Congress into putting the brakes on Trump.
There’s no shortage of talking points with which to convince members of Congress. Every member of Congress is representing a state or district that is suffering from the negative consequences of Trump’s slipshod and impulsive policies.
The fight won’t be over for a long time. But, as this weekend’s marches and rallies proved, the resistance is strong and ready to do what’s necessary to stave off budding fascism and return the nation’s most precious asset — democracy.
