‘People have the power’: Dallas organizer on the importance of ‘No Kings’ protests

A:  Everyone is welcome. The moment you arrive at our No Kings event, one piece of feedback we’ve always received, is the sense of belonging that people feel there. Our attendees will feel a sense of belonging. You will be able to talk to people that are total strangers and feel welcome. We encourage our attendees to welcome anybody who is by themselves into their group.

Anyone who previously voted for Donald Trump and is now disillusioned, you are also welcome at No Kings. We frequently have people who have voted Republican all their life at No Kings. This is a very wide net that we are casting, it’s gonna take all of us. It’s gonna take everybody. Even people who are former Trump supporters, you are more than welcome at No Kings.

Q: What’s the point of protesting?

A:  This is a starting point, not an ending point. We want to make it as accessible as possible for the everyday, average American to take part in these, even if they’ve never been a part of a protest before. The vast majority of Americans haven’t ever been part of a protest, but we want to let them know that protesting is an essential American way of life. We are not disrupting the day-to-day, we’re are not engaging in civil disobedience. However, this is a platform that we want to make as appealing as possible for everyday folks to get involved in the resistance.

We want to meet people where they are and make it as convenient as possible for them to learn to be more civically engaged. Learn how to resist tyranny. Learn the power that just a simple individual has over so much. We want to remind people that the people have the power. 

Q: What does protesting look like?

A: Protests are a spectrum. They can be anywhere from joy as resistance to obstructive practices like sit-ins. We need all of it. We need all forms of resistance in order to affect change. This is simply one form. We want folks to get inspired to continue making activism a part of their everyday lives. So that is the point of this protest. We have no illusion that we’re going to be solving everything with one event. We know that only sustained resistance over time is what can fight fascism.

 Resistance to authoritarianism is an everyday act. Every single day you have to do something to resist, otherwise it’s not gonna work. Even if it’s simply making a call to a Congress person, writing a postcard, educating a friend on how to vote. Every single day we can all do something to make our democracy stronger and resist authoritarianism.

Q: What happens after “No Kings” is over?

A:  I will consider it a success if every attendee finds one organization to get involved in. We have over 25 area nonprofits and activism organizations that are coming to table and introduce themselves to our attendees. We want to get them plugged in. We want everyone to find one or two causes that are important to them and join that fight. There are activists and people who are already doing the work that desperately need your help, and we hope that every attendee that comes to No Kings sees that there is a place for them at any organization there.