Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The power of the people was on full display in Atlanta on Saturday, Oct. 18. A second “No Kings” rally took place at the Atlanta Civic Center early that morning, and the crowd and the noise were reminiscent of the last rally that was held there. Former United States Vice President Kamala Harris held a rally there late in her 2024 run to the White House, and then, just like on Saturday, the place was packed with supporters of a singular cause.
On June 14, a “No Kings” rally, a national series of coordinated rallies and non-violent protests, took place at Freedom Plaza. On those days, thousands come out in their respective cities to protest, among many things, the decisions being made by the current United States Presidential Administration. Saturday was no different.
People wearing costumes, carrying signs that read “No Kings, No Tyrants, No Trump,” “Due Process Matters,” “Democracy Needs Your Courage,” and “No Troops in Our Streets,” and wearing “No Kings” t-shirts filled the massive parking lot. According to the organization’s website and social media posts, this demonstration was one of over 2,5000 “No Kings” rallies taking place across the country.
In Georgia, “No Kings” rallies took place in big and small cities alike. Rallies were scheduled in Augusta, Brunswick, Gainesville, Richmond Hill, Summerville, Tucker, and Valdosta.
Asked why she was attending the rally at the Civic Center, Dr. Veronica Okwoche, an Atlanta resident, mother of two daughters, and an educator, said, “I am here for my students who have no voice,” she said. “I have to advocate for them.”
Okwoche, a native Nigerian, also added that she is an immigrant and wanted to express her disdain for how the current presidential administration is handling immigration.
“I have to speak out,” Okwoche said.
Some of the speakers at the Atlanta “No Kings” rally work for organizations that focus on strengthening and educating citizens on everything from voting rights to rights for the disabled, to legal defense. The list of speakers included Mark Peterson of Common Defense, Brionte McCorkle of Georgia Conservation Voters, and Dom Kelly of the New Disabled South, an organization that advocates for disability rights and disability justice throughout the South’s 14 states.
The array of demonstrators and attendees ranged from millennials to boomers.
Dr. Lloyd Norman, an Atlanta resident, said he was there to fight for several interests.
“I’m here for my grandchildren. I’m here because I hate racism. I’m here because I hate when people are profiled because they are Black and brown. I am here because I love freedom,” Norman said.
Similar to many large demonstrations in Atlanta and across the country, many people were expressing personal and professional interests. One of those people was Susan LaMont, who is running for Atlanta Mayor as a write-in candidate.
“We try to go out and talk to working people, students, and people with whom we may not agree,” said LaMont. “We see the deepening crisis facing working-class people in the world.”
Rodney Jones attended the “No Kings” rally at Freedom Plaza in June and told The Atlanta Voice that he was at the Civic Center to continue supporting the movement.
“The constitutional power grab by Donald Trump and his attack on the American people with the military is why I am here,” Jones said. “We’ve got to stand for something.”
ACLU of Georgia Executive Director Andrea Young was one of the first people to address the crowd. Young said the rally was a “We love America rally.”
“We are here to say we love America too much to give it over to a wannabe king,” Young said. “The people in the Trump regime are not above the law. At the same time, they act like some of us are below the law.”
Kelly, who took the stage with the help of a cane, said it was no longer acceptable to leave any community behind.
“Regardless, whether or not we belong to it. There are more of us than there are of them,” he said.