More than 8,000 gather for SLC No Kings

SALT LAKE CITY—The No Kings rally at the State Capitol in Salt Lake City last Saturday attracted a mix of college-age young adults, parents with children, retired people and the elderly.

At one point, rally organizers said the crowd numbered 20,000. But the Utah Highway Patrol estimated the crowd at 8,000, and the Salt Lake Tribune, which had reporters on scene, gave the count at 8,000-10,000.

About half of the protesters gathered at Washington Square (the City and County Building) and walked 1.3 miles up State Street to the Capitol. The rest were waiting when the marchers arrived.

“We stand together as a people who stand for peace, who stand for accountability, who stand for democracy, who stand for one another,” Robert Birch, identified as a veteran and activist in the anti-Trump movement, told the crown. “We are the people, and we are stronger than any would-be king.”

Another speaker, Janetta Williams, who has been a leader in the Utah Chapter of the NAACP for 30 years, said, “Salt Lake City is a place of community, dignity and opportunity,” she said. “Immigrant families are not outsiders. They are essential.”

Other speakers represented what they termed as “marginalized” populations including Latinos, the LGBT community and transsexuals.

Most of the signs displayed by protesters were generic. The most common, carried by numerous protestors who also carried American flags said, “No kings, no crowns” or “No Kings, no dictators.” One sign said, “No kings, no tyrants, no billionaires.” One sign with hearts across the bottom said simply, “We love America.”

Other signs ranged from the humorous to the poignant. One said, “I’ve seen better cabinets at IKEA.” Another said, “When cruelty become normal, compassion looks radical.” A man in his late teens or early 20s held a sign saying, “Jesus wept.”

There were multiple signs carried by mothers and grandmothers suggesting that protesting represented an obligation to their children or grandchildren. A woman in her late 30s or early 40s carried a sign saying, “When this is all over, I want my kids to know their mother spoke out.” An older woman wore a shirt saying, “I need to be able to tell my grandchildren I did not stay silent.”

But an observer could not look around the crowd without seeing the “F” word and other profanity on scores of signs. An example was a large sign, held by a protestor in the middle of the Capitol steps that said, “Gov. Cox and Utah GOP. Pull your heads out of Trumps a__ and stand up for Utah values.”