Story By John Mann
Over one hundred protesters were gathered on the steps of the Marshall County Courthouse in Guntersville last Saturday morning to take part in the nationwide No Kings day of protest.
While meant to celebrate both Flag Day and the 250th anniversary of the United States Army the demonstration’s main goal was to counter President Donald Trump’s military parade that was also held in Washington last Saturday, which also coincided with his own birthday.
“Of course today is Flag Day and we are out celebrating patriotism and the anniversary of the Army,” Dr. Will Boyd, who recently announced his candidacy for governor of Alabama, said. “But of course we want to recognize today is a day we reaffirm our democratic values and ensure that power remains in the hands of the people.”
The protest comes on the heels of a great deal of tension within the United States, with the recent deployment of armed forces to California to quell anti-deportation protests and the assassination and attempted assassination of two Democratic legislators in Minnesota last Saturday.
The No Kings protests took place in all fifty states across over two thousand cities, with fourteen of those taking place in the state of Alabama. In regard to the event that took place in Guntersville, Marshall County Democratic Club President Susan McKenney reported around one hundred and fifty attendees for the day for a protest that was permitted and fully peaceful.
“We want to make sure that everyone knows that they need to exercise their first amendment right and let our country know that we don’t have tyrants here,” Boyd said. “We don’t have kings, we have a president and he like all of us should observe the law of the land.”
The event began with a live reading of the Declaration of Independence by Boyd in the courthouse doorway, followed by speakers on topics such as health care, education, local politics, immigration and other things they feel are being targeted by the current presidential administration. One such speaker was Alex Braswell, the first female Democratic candidate to run for House District 11 which includes most of Cullman County.
“Two phrases come to mind today when I look out and see you all,” Braswell said. “One is that you understood the assignment, you understood our democracy at risk, and you understood the state of Alabama falling through the cracks with road safety, with CBD access, with Section 504, with education. The second statement is that we are in the arena, this is the arena. Democrats across the state are in the arena.”
The protest continued for around two hours, breaking up without incident at noon. Attendees could be seen standing streetside along Gunter Avenue holding signs with messages such as “Law is king, Trump is not” and “Restore due process and the rule of law.” The protest was a joint effort through three local advocacy groups including Strong Coffee, Indivisible Marshall County and the Marshall County Democratic Club the latter of whom made sure to get the proper permits for the demonstration.
More information about No Kings can be found on their website at nokings.org. More information about Dr. Will Boyd can be found at drwillboyd.com while Alex Braswell can be found at braswellfor11.com.
