Andrea and Galen McDermed were at the mile-long "No Kings" event on Saturday in Astoria. Jeanne Huff / The Astorian

Under a typically cloudy Oregon sky with temperatures hovering around 57 degrees, hundreds of people lined Marine Drive in Astoria for a mile-long stretch, from 18th to 35th streets on Saturday, many holding signs, others waving or wearing U.S. flags – some upside down, signaling a country in distress. Attendees smiled and waved at the steady stream of honking cars passing by, seeming to take no notice of the dreary day. The “No Kings” event, which was held from noon to 1:30 p.m., brought people of all ages: men, women, children – and more than a few accompanying dogs –- united in purpose with tens or perhaps even hundreds of thousands of others across the country and the globe to protest the current president and his administration and the policies and actions taken since he took office in January. Saturday’s event was peaceful with no reports of police intervention or violence.

 

Simultaneously, Flag Day, the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, and President Trump’s birthday were all being celebrated in Washington, D.C. in a lavish ceremony that included rolling tanks, military flyovers and roaring canons, purportedly costing the American taxpayers around $45 million.

 

Two local advocacy groups helped organize Saturday’s event in Astoria, North Coast Action and Indivisible North Coast Oregon. Julia Hesse, interim coordinator for Indivisible North Coast Oregon, one of the event coordinators, listed a litany of grievances that spurred the action, beginning with “mass firings of federal employees to the dismantling of government agencies, defiance of court orders and intimidations of universities, judges and law firms that refuse to conform.” But what set off “even bigger alarm bells,” Hesse said in a statement, included the escalated conflict in California where “ICE raids have ignited mass, mostly peaceful protests, only to be met with the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines.”

 

Hesse further cited Trump’s June 10 Fort Bragg speech that talked about “turning the military into a political weapon … what kings do,” the military parade on Trump’s birthday, and more. “We are a nation in crisis. … This is why we are here today. The ‘No Kings’ demonstration is more than a protest — it is a defense of democracy itself.”

 

Laurie Caplan, INCO co-founder, said she has been involved in coordinating events since 2017. “I was the lead organizer for the Astoria Women’s March,” Caplan said. “I remember we were expecting maybe 300 — and there were close to 1400. It was such an adrenaline rush, I couldn’t walk in the march.” After that, things started materializing to create a more formal organization. “Feb. 1, 2017 — that was our first meeting.” COVID put the group on pause, “but then we rebooted,” she said. Caplan said she scheduled a gathering to celebrate Kamala Harris’s presidential victory — but instead of giving up, “we turned that into a reboot.” Asked about the crowd size for the “No Kings” event, Caplan said it could be well over 1400 — “but it’s so hard to tell.”

 

The elephant in the room: community

Hesse said just as important as the protest itself, “we are here to celebrate our community — to embrace the joy in our diversity, our shared humanity and our beautiful world. We gather today in solidarity with immigrants, low-income families, nonprofits, civil society groups and every person who stands against the brutality of this administration.”

 

Stephanie Robinson, a registered nurse and INCO’s Leadership Team Assistant Coordinator echoed Hesse’s words. “The only way to fight authoritarianism is through community. I chose to become involved with INCO from a desire to build community in Astoria.” Robinson said she thinks things are going to get harder “as the U.S. government stops working for the health, prosperity, safety and privacy of working people, instead executing the will of the ridiculously rich.” Robinson said it’s all about undermining authoritarianism and “coming together as a community is how we undermine authoritarianism,” whether that’s working together for a common good, watching out for one another, sharing skills and resources — or “coming together in protest. Resisting in individual and collective ways is how we undermine authoritarianism. We are in this together.”

 

Protesters speak out

Holding a homemade cardboard sign emblazoned with the words “dignity,” “due process” and “democracy” with a U.S. flag in the middle, Geri Fick said she came to the event “because I feel strongly things need to change and everyone needs to do their part. Fick was stationed across the street from Safeway, near the end of the mile-long stretch. Asked if she was from Astoria, Fick smiled. “I live right up the hill.” Is this her first protest? “No, I was here in April,” she said.

 

Lee Johnson, who served in the Navy, said he was there because “I’m a veteran and the illegal use of the military is absurd. I can’t believe anybody would volunteer if the government would use them against their own citizens.”

 

Another attendee was Tom Giles, the unofficial sign maker for the group. “I don’t make all of the signs, but I make most of them,” he said.

 

Andrea and Galen McDermed held the corner at 32nd and Marine Drive with a U.S. flag and two signs proclaiming: “No kings! Not then, not now, not ever!” Andrea said she came with a sense of responsibility and “just anger over just the entire term, really. And happy to have everyone come out.”

 

Over a deafening spate of honking horns, Galen said he was there because “slowly it seems our democracy is being eroded bit by bit and people our age need to come out and demonstrate. Our voices need to be heard. The rhetoric now is just terrible.” Addressing the waving and honking of the horns from cars slowly driving by, Galen said with this protest, he’s noticed “a lot more positive responses, a lot less middle fingers and thumbs down.”

 

Danae Meyn said she recently moved to Astoria from Yakima, Washington. She attend the protest to meet people, “my new neighbors,” and to “put my effort behind my mouth. … I thought I was done with this in the ‘70s.”

 

And while the “No Kings” rally was Meyn’s first, for Judith Niland and John Ginger it was one more notch. “We come to all these rallies,” Ginger said, “haven’t missed a one. Trump is a traitor.” Niland, who noted they’re going to have to make a new sign as theirs is showing signs of wear, nodded. “I can’t believe Trump won.”