Hundreds unite at Fremont No Kings protest

By Staff Writers Luna Bichon & Michael Qin

Fremont protesters gathered for the second No Kings demonstration of the year on October 18, expressing criticism against the current presidential administration along Walnut Avenue and Paseo Padre Parkway. The demonstration was assembled by a coalition of organizations that included advocacy organization Indivisible Fremont. Hundreds held countless handmade picket signs of crossed out crowns as drivers passing by blared their car horns in support.

The Fremont rally was part of the wider No Kings movement, which organized more than 2,700 protests on the same day in opposition to the Trump administration. In addition to Fremont, protests were held in almost all major Bay Area cities including Alameda, San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, and San Jose. “We have to stop what’s going on in Washington. We know we’re afraid that people are going to come to our city as well. Who’s going to send the National Guard or troops? We can’t have that,” attendee Joseph Magdalena said.

While protest attendees all expressed broad disapproval of Trump’s policies and the direction of the government, they were motivated by different particular reasons to attend the protest: Proposition 50, immigration, and budget cuts. Some advocated for Proposition 50, which would redesign California’s congressional maps to grant the Democratic party up to five more seats in the House of Representatives, a response to Republican redistricting and power-grabbing efforts earlier this year in Texas. 

The demonstration  brought hundreds of people together across the Tri-City Area for a shared cause. Behind the backdrop of chants and honking, saxophone music disrupted the busy air, presenting a unique form of expression. “I think music brings people together. It’s a natural thing for us,” local saxophonist and music teacher Andy Ehling said about playing saxophone at the protest. “It’s a universal language … we’re trying to get people pumped up.”

Many protested through written and spoken expressions as well. Much of the demonstration was against the federal government’s recent actions regarding immigration, reprimanding their contentious tactics. One sign at the protest read, “Stop ICE Gestapo tactics!” Under President Trump’s administration, ICE has been widely deployed in large cities, expanding detentions by almost 50% since the beginning of the year, according to the American Immigration Council. On October 23, after the protest, ICE came close to the Bay Area, stationed on Coast Guard Island in Alameda, before quickly withdrawing.  Another sign at the protest displayed, “Immigrants Aren’t Criminals….the President IS!!!” Both were a few of many signs expressing similar political sentiments. Many also argued against the proposed budget cuts  for Medicare and Social Security, critical health and insurance programs which provide assistance to millions of Americans each year.  

“[This protest] means empowerment. It’s No Kings Day, which means no kingship, but yes to kinship. By coming together, we’re reaffirming our connectivity to one another, our commitment to democracy,” demonstration co-organizer David Bonaccorsi said. Among the many attendees were students and teachers, many of whom shared the feelings of optimism and hope at the protest. “It’s easy to feel helpless. [But] there’s a lot of people who feel the same way, and it’s just a really nice atmosphere here, even though the thing that we’re protesting is rather sad,” a MSJ student at the protest, who wished to stay anonymous, said. 

The protest was a demonstration of community-level activism against the federal government. “I think people forget, they think they’re just one voice. But all of our voices, together and combined are what makes up this country, and we are the ones that vote [politicians] in, and we’re the ones that are going to be able to get them out,” demonstration co-organizer Tracy Sarge said.