Ephraim No Kings protest nearly doubles previous attendance numbers

EPHRAIM—More than 120 people gathered outside Ephraim City Hall on Saturday, March 28 for a No Kings event to protest the actions of the Trump administration.

The protest took place on the sidewalk in front of city hall from 1-2 p.m., although some lingered longer into the mid-afternoon.

One of those attendees was Becky Adams, who was particularly concerned with the issues surrounding the war in Iran. Adams’ son is currently overseas in active deployment to the middle east, and she says she is very concerned for his safety.

She also said she is very unhappy with the way ICE has been operating.

“We are all immigrants,” Adams told the Messenger. “Every one of us. The American dream brings people here and what supports people. I love it because you can climb and succeed and work hard.”

Andy Bahlmann was also in attendance at the protest. His primary concerns were a lack of safeguards in the current American government.
“Way too much of the country’s power being consolidated in one individual without any sort of effort to check that,” Bahlmann said. “I think one of the biggest challenges for me that I see right now is a lack of checks and balances in the way we’re approaching things in the country right now.”

Not all the protestors were there to speak up against the Trump administration. Boston Harding, a Snow College student and member of the school’s Turning Point USA club, was a lone counter-protester standing across the street, in front of Zions Bank.

Harding’s protest sign read “Support ICE,” and she told the Messenger that she thought the No Kings protests were in poor taste.

“We got rid of kings in 1776,” Harding said. “We have not had one since, and we still don’t have one.”

This is the third No Kings protest held in Ephraim, and it had nearly twice the attendance of the previous event, which was held on Friday, Jan. 23. The protests are organized by Ephraim resident Paul Gardner.