MAGA leaders kept saying all week that the “No Kings” events held across the country and across the world today would be “hate America” rallies full of terrorists and paid protestors.
I assume the strategy there was to rile up the rabids in the MAGA base to cause trouble, and to depress turnout among Democrats, independents and disaffected center-right Republicans, scaring folks who otherwise would want to be there into thinking that something bad might happen.
Photo album
Here locally, the memories of Unite the Right are still pretty fresh.
Gotta admit, I was a bit worried as I made my way over to the Augusta County Courthouse in Staunton this morning for our local “No Kings.”
The first anti-Trump rally in Downtown Staunton, back in April, drawing around 500 locals, was marred by a reckless driving neo-Nazi and a man brandishing a gun – police pulled over the guy driving the big truck, but let him off with a warning, and did nothing with the man with the gun.
A second April rally had a guy walking by telling protestors he was “locked and loaded” and prepared to “kill” people; again, police did nothing.
A third rally, in June, drew in the area of 1,200 people – that number significant in a region with a population at 125,000 that went 63.3 percent for Donald Trump in 2024 – and fortunately, no reckless drivers in big trucks, nobody brandishing a gun, nobody threatening to kill people.
From the archives
- April 5: Staunton rally sends message to leaders in DC
- April 19: Staunton Police arrest, then quickly release, man who shouted death threats at protest
- June 14: Massive crowd turns out for Staunton No Kings Day anti-Trump protest
Today’s rally drew an even bigger crowd – I’ll estimate 1,700 – and the only disruption was brief.
A man with a makeshift sound system tried to lecture people from passages in the Bible, and struggled to make something of a point about the murder of White nationalist Charlie Kirk, but he didn’t get any traction with those around him, and didn’t hang around very long.
I heard about a second guy who some thought was suspicious because he seemed to be shooting close-up videos of folks in the crowd, but he claimed to be “an independent journalist,” and he would soon scatter as well.
The rest of us recited, jointly, the Pledge of Allegiance, then broke out into a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
You know, typical “hate America” kinds of things.
Candidates for the Virginia House of Delegates and the Democratic Party nomination in the Sixth District for Congress took their turns at the live mic.
A line of regular-people speakers followed, sharing their views on current affairs.
Lots of folks had signs – and unless I missed it, they didn’t come from a van in any of the adjoining parking lots.
There were several people in inflatables; one conceded toward the end of the protest that it was, indeed, hot inside.
That’s because were blessed with great weather for the second half of October, temperatures in the 70s, only a couple of puffy white clouds in the deep blue sky.
There were people in clown noses, dogs in strollers.
Did I mention the signs?
I didn’t even try to come up with a sign; I’m not nearly as clever to top the 50 best signs that I saw out there this afternoon.
The speaking and people (and sign, and dog) watching went on for a while, and then one of the organizers took the mic, thanked everybody for coming out, and asked those in attendance to thank the local police, who had closed the streets around the rally site, and positioned two officers on the rooftop of an adjoining court building.
She also reminded people to make sure to pick up after themselves.
“No Kings,” and no litter.
Also: no terrorists, no paid protestors.
Just a couple thousand people in a ruby red Republican area taking a few hours out of an awesome fall Saturday to say, enough.
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Chris Graham
