Story By John Mann
For the second time this year there was a ‘No Kings’ protest held in the courtyard of the Marshall County Courthouse in Guntersville on Saturday, drawing an estimated four hundred participants according to the Marshall County Democratic Party.
The party based attendance on the number of informational cards they distributed, which called for “A Peaceful Nationwide Day of Defiance” against overreaching of power by the current presidential administration.
“The attendance was thirty percent more than the June 14 No Kings event we hosted at the same location,” Marshall County Democratic Club Chair Susan McKenney said. “That attendance was based on crowd estimates from representatives from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office who were observing from the courthouse. We were very pleased with the October 18 event as to the crowd participation, creativity of the protest signs on display and costumes worn by some to demonstrate how non-threatening we were despite being described as people who hate our country by the Trump administration.”
The Guntersville protest was one part of a nationwide day of protest which took place in all fifty states, with fifteen officially registered events in Alabama. According to the organization’s national website over seven million Americans took part in the demonstration across over 2700 events. Officially registered events were listed on a national roster with organizers required to participate in trainings for situations such as deescalating possible instigators of violence.
In Guntersville the Marshall County party was joined by visitors from nearby counties including Blount, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah and Jackson with one couple reporting to have traveled from as far as Walker County.
“Marshall County organizers feel it is important to participate locally and to let our neighbors know that they are not alone,” McKenney said. “So often these events are organized in large cities such as Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery making it difficult for many locals to attend and support. This encourages like-minded individuals to attend school board, county commission, city council and library board meetings. We also see an uptick in our own party membership after these events. Overall, we hope to bring local awareness to the political issues that affect us all.”
Attendees to the demonstration lined the sidewalks in front of the courthouse, displaying signs with slogans including “Honk for Democracy”, “Pro-America, Anti-Trump”, “Due Process for Everyone” and of course “No Kings” with people passing down Gunter Avenue responding with a mix of support and disapproval. The demonstration, which began at 10 am, concluded at the courthouse at noon with no incidents or arrests reported.
For more information about the national No Kings movement visit their website at nokings.org. The Marshall County Democratic Club meets at the Guntersville Public Library at 6 pm on the first Tuesday of every month. Meetings are open to the public.
