Protesters decked out in American flags, as well as Mexican, Palestinian and LGBTQ Pride flags, overflowed Durham’s CCB plaza to protest the second presidency of Donald Trump.
About 2,000 “No Kings” protests were held across the country Saturday to coincide with Trump’s birthday and Flag Day, and counter a military parade Trump is holding in Washington D.C.. Protests were held around the Triangle, including in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Cary, Morrisville and Hillsborough.
Organizers estimated about 5,000 people rallied in Durham to spite Trump and call for “liberty and justice for all,” the Bull City’s addition to the national events. Attendees recited the pledge of allegiance, from which the phrase comes, at the plaza before marching to Durham Central Park.
“We wanted to center on our community and what we can do, and have that be like a positive, constructive event like you see going on around you here, as opposed to just focusing on all of the things that are going wrong,” said Elizabeth Hoane, one of the organizers along with Christine Barboriak, Julia Borbely-Brown, Monica Beales, Kathryn Pollak, and Louise Martin-Carpenter. “We wanted to take that ‘No Kings’ platform and turn it into something positive and community building.”
The march was led by people from Durham whose votes were challenged by Jefferson Griffin in his attempt to toss tens of thousands of votes from the state Supreme Court race he lost to Alison Riggs. His challenge was unsuccessful, but organizers wanted to emphasize how far the NC GOP will go to win, said Barboriak.
Speeches by Durham County Democratic Party Chair Emerson Kirby, former State Representative Larry King and State Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls focused on the theme of liberty and justice for all.
“Trump and his allies continue to abuse power, undermine our courts and attack our rights. We come together today on Flag Day here in the center of Durham to show everybody that we truly believe in liberty and justice for all and our community. Strength comes from us, the people and our values,” Kirby said during her speech.
Earls talked about the importance of the state supreme court to combat gerrymandering and voter ID requirements.
Attendees were concerned about a variety of issues surrounding the Trump administration, including deportations, the potential deployment of the national guard against protesters, erosion of due process rights, and the detainment of pro-Palestine protester and student Mahmoud Khalil.
Nineteen-year-old Ella Ovwigho attended carrying a simple sign: Abolish ICE.
“We’ve seen in these past few weeks, especially, but past few years, really, that there has been injustice after injustice after injustice after injustice when it comes to ICE and their use of unnecessary force, illegal tactics, to deport legal immigrants who are not illegal in the first place, or who have had their legal status taken away by this administration,” Ovwigho said.
The protest was a family affair, with many people marching with their children, parents or siblings.
Father and son Marc and Brock Towler showed up out of concern over ICE raids and the deployment of the national guard against protesters in Los Angeles.
Marc wrote “Remember Kent State” on his sign for the event, in reference to the rally opposing the Vietnam War at the California university in 1970, during which the national guard opened fire on student protesters, killing four and injuring more.
Brock said he was worried not only about the protesters, but about people who have been deported.
“The idea that that we have this shadow police operating outside of the structure of our legal system, and them being able to sort of take people, move them around, without really a lot of visibility or access to their family, to their legal representation, etc., you know, it just, it cannot happen,” Brock said.
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