‘We love America’: Residents, local legislators attend second ‘No Kings’ protest in Norman

Norman residents and local legislators gathered in Andrews Park to attend Norman’s second “No Kings” protest Saturday. 

Protesters gathered in the pavilion holding signs and American flags, reading “No Kings! No Crowns! No tyrants!”, “The people are the government,” “Silence is Compliance” and “My grandparents defeated fascism and so will we,” among others.

The event featured multiple speakers, including Rep. Jacob Rosecrants (D-Norman), Rep. Jared Deck (D-Norman) and Rep. Andy Fugate (D-Del City).

Some members of the crowd wore costumes and inflatable suits, alluding to a protester in an inflatable frog costume in Portland who got chemical gas aimed directly at his costume vent by a federal agent earlier this month. 

“It kind of became a symbol of the movement,” Alex Davis, an activist wearing a frog hat and holding a frog sign, said. “Frogs against fascism.” 

The Norman “No Kings” protest was part of a national movement calling against actions made by the Trump Administration. According to The New York Times, more than 2,600 protests took place Saturday. 

Rosecrants said it was a “kindness” to call Trump a king rather than a dictator. 

“It’s not just Democrats,” Rosecrants said. “We have Independents, we have Republicans, we have Americans who are tired of this shit.”

Rosecrants spoke about cuts made in federal funding that affect the National Weather Center, located on OU’s campus, stating he never thought weather would be “attacked.”

This comes after the Department of Government Efficiency canceled the lease for a radar operations center in March and laid off an unspecified number of employees at the National Weather Center, a part of the Trump administration’s mass layoffs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in February.  

“Who does it help when you attack the experts?” Rosecrants said. “Who does it help when you attack our scientists? Who does it help when you attack people who know what they’re talking about and are warning us about climate, … about things we can’t get back if we lose them?”

Deck led the crowd in songs. During his speech, he said democracy is a daily choice. 

“I’ve sung in bar rooms and spoken in our capitol and I’ll tell you the same thing that I tell crowds in both places: the measure of a people is not in our wealth, it’s in our willingness to lift each other up,” Deck said. 

Deck told OU Daily reporters that he wants people who don’t support Trump’s policies to understand they’re not alone.

“What's important is that people understand that they're not alone, that there are other people that are unsatisfied with what's happening with our government today,” Deck said. “No Kings is the idea of the great American experiment of self representation. Having a bunch of people show up in one spot to make sure that they’re being represented, that's what’s important.”

Austen Abel, a Norman resident, told the crowd he showed up with a dream to speak and thanked the organizers for allowing him to. He said there would be no tyranny, discrimination, oligarchy or kings in the U.S. 

“In this America, we rid ourselves of corrupt forces, of selfishness and of those who lust for ultimate, unquestionable power,” Abel said. “We are Americans, we are the pushers of the world, moving it forward and never staying down to fear or sorrow. We will once again turn on our American engine of renewal and make our democracy the envy of the world once again.”

Abel said propaganda is being pushed on Americans through the abuse of internet algorithms. 

“(Algorithms target) and (push) propagandas on those who are for our cause, for freedom of all forms of oppression, and instead turns them to align with the most un-Americans: the neo-Nazis, the lost southern causes, the almost, if not full, worship of a saggy-skinned, geriatric, demagogue, who, through his use of botox, puff up and hide how out of touch he really is,” Abel said, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

Abel told OU Daily that he hopes the event shows that people still care and have hope for change in today’s political climate. 

“We’re going to be a great nation for a long time,” Abel said. 

On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson condemned “No Kings” protests, referring to them as “un-American.” 

Fugate told the crowd that he did not attend the protest because he hates America.

“We’re here today, not because we hate America, but because we love America,” Fugate said, prompting cheers. “Protesting is not un-American, and standing up to a king is about as American as it gets.”

Fugate said all members of the government and the military swear an oath to the Constitution rather than the president.

“The presidency is not a weapon,” Fugate said. “It’s an oath to be faithful, to preserve and protect the Constitution.” 

Travis Martin, a marine veteran and engineer who attended the event in uniform, said it was his obligation to attend.

Martin said he hopes the event gains more exposure for the “No Kings” movement. 

“There’s got to be people like me who are willing to stand up, …” Martin said. “I want a better life for all of our civilians that I defended. The directions we’re going are not making it better for the rest of my people.”

An OU employee, who requested to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation, held a sign that read “DEI is our strength.” They said they attended the protest because they believe in democracy. 

“Our president is doing some very undemocratic things,” the employee said. “White people are not the only Americans. We have a very diverse, thankfully, holistic society.”

Michael Graff, a Norman resident, said he attended the first “No Kings” protest held in Norman over the summer, and believed this one had a larger crowd the event was larger than the one in June.

Graff said he hopes the “No Kings” protest brings community involvement and encourages people to vote.

“June was a bit smaller, because it wasn't as urgent,” Graff said. “Now, we’re seeing that it's not stopping and so a lot more people are showing up and a lot more people are getting involved.” 

Photos: Norman 'No Kings' protest

This story was edited by Thomas Pablo and Ana Barboza.