Fremont residents participate in the nationwide No Kings protests
On October 18th, thousands of Fremont residents peacefully protested in the local No Kings movement, one of many demonstrations happening simultaneously across the country. The No Kings movement began as a national protest effort against the current presidential administration, but the Fremont protest showed how large-scale discussions about justice, representation, and freedom are increasingly finding their way to smaller communities.
On a nationwide level, the No Kings protests were hosted by Indivisible, an organization dedicated to coordinating protests that stand against current actions and policies. On a local level, the Fremont protest was organized by 4 volunteers from Indivisible’s Fremont chapter, aiming to uphold the group’s anti-authoritarian sentiments.
Tracy Sarge, one of the volunteers who took part in initializing, planning, and carrying out the Fremont No Kings protest, said, “I have 2 daughters. I see what’s happening to people’s rights across the country, and honestly I think it’s abhorrent. I want to make sure that’s not happening.”
To the organizers, the protest was not solely about policy, but also about helping people feel less alone in their opinions. “If you’re in a room and somebody says, ‘Does everybody want to do this?’ then everyone nods their head. If somebody doesn’t want to do it, they don’t want to be the first to speak out. When the first person speaks out, then other people are like, ‘Yeah, I don’t want to do it either,’” Sarge explained. “It’s about drawing attention so people see that they have support. We have an administration that’s telling us that things are popular, but when two-thirds of the country is saying it’s not, people see that and start to feel more confident about speaking out.”
Fremont’s No Kings protest showed how a national movement can turn into a local show of solidarity and civic action (Photo Credit: The News-Messenger).
Part of encouraging people to attend protests is making them accessible and welcoming. Volunteer and organizer Toni Shellen emphasized that the goal was to make all protesters feel equally welcome. “We really made an effort, especially after the administration tried to say that these were ‘hate America’ rallies. We went above and beyond trying to make sure that they were joyful. In the last one we had, there was a jazz band and a saxophone quartet, and we gave out flags and bubbles to kids,” she said.
For Fremont students, the No Kings protest also offered a rare chance to experience civic participation firsthand. Gabe Garcia (11) attended the protest and said, “I’ve been very aware of everything that’s been going on with the administration, and it’s making me really mad. I think using your voice is a very powerful thing to do right now.”
Even though young people were a minority of attendees, Garcia believes the younger generation still had a large part to play in the protest. He explained, “The message from the protest was sparked by people our age. I was one of the [few] people our age who were there, but the message was from us towards the government rather than the other way around.”
Sarge highlighted how the fact that the protest was just weeks before the November special election in California helped demonstrate how civic pressure can have a tangible impact. “You look throughout history and it’s proven that protests make a difference in voting, especially right before an election,” she said. “Younger people have never seen what a protest can do; I want them to know the power of their voice and that they can make a difference.”
What began as a broad, nationwide call to resist authoritarianism became a street-level expression of shared values. Sarge said, “The people have the power. [The government] works for us; we do not work for them.”
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