Over the weekend, “No Kings” demonstrations convened millions across the nation in protest of President Donald Trump and his authoritarian agenda. On the same day as Trump’s more sparsely attended birthday, more than five million people participated in over 2,100 rallies and protests in all 50 states, according to the ACLU.
While the majority of protests remained peaceful on the part of participants, law enforcement continued to escalate and enact violence against demonstrators in Los Angeles. In Culpeper, Virginia, a 21-year-old man allegedly drove an SUV through a crowd “intentionally”; in Austin, Texas, lawmakers were threatened by an unidentified man; and in Salt Lake City, Utah, a protester was fatally shot by a peacekeeper who had intended to fire at a man brandishing a rifle.
According to multiple outlets, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) first issued a dispersal order abotu four hours into the protest, around 4 p.m., yet kettled (or boxed) people in, rendering them unable. Police then deployed tear gas and physical violence against non-threatening protesters, like an elderly man who was pushed to the ground by officers on horseback. Several rounds of projectiles were also fired into the crowds.
Meanwhile, Joseph R. Checklick Jr, the 21-year-old Virginian, is accused of intentionally accelerating into a crowd of protesters near James Madison Highway on Saturday. According to local police, Checklick Jr. hit at least one person who survived. He was arrested and charged with reckless driving and is currently being held without bond at the Culpeper County Jail. And on that same day in Austin, police arrested one person in connection with credible death threats against state lawmakers who planned to attend the city’s “No Kings” protest.
“Just today, a credible threat was made to possibly kill members of the Texas Legislature at the Capitol,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wrote in a post on Twitter. “Death threats are sadly a part of serving in public life today.” As a result, the Texas State Capitol and grounds were evacuated at 1 p.m. local time Saturday and reportedly remain temporarily closed.
Finally, in Salt Lake City, an armed “peacekeeper” opened fire on an armed attendee, Arturo Gamboa, a Salt Lake City man who attended the “No Kings” rally with an AR-15 style rifle and a gas mask inside his backpack. When Gamboa raised the gun as if to fire during the protest, two “peacekeepers” intervened, with one firing at him multiple times. While Gamboa was struck once, another fatally hit Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, a 39-year-old father of two and past participant of Project Runway, who was participating in the march.
The violence at the protests only underscores the seriousness of Saturday’s assassination in Minnesota, which claimed the lives of Melissa Hortman, a Minnesota Democrat and the former speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, and her husband, Mark. The suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, was arrested on Sunday night after a nearly 48-hour manhunt. Prior to his arrest, police discovered a hit list of over 70 targets in his car, including abortion providers, abortion clinics, and Planned Parenthood locations.
On a more hopeful note, the “No Kings” potentially drew a record number of protesters this weekend. That more and more of us are willing to rail against this regime personally makes me sleep at least two extra minutes a night. But please stay safe out there, everyone.
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