‘No Kings Day’ draws thousands of eastern Idahoans out to protest

POCATELLO — Multiple cities across eastern Idaho collectively saw thousands of people participate in a nationwide protest on Saturday.

Large crowds in Pocatello, Idaho Falls and Driggs all came out to protest for ‘No Kings Day,’ a national day of protest against President Donald Trump for what they call authoritarian overreach by his administration, comparing him to a king. While the protests drew at least hundreds of people at each of the major cities respectively, some emphasized that protests on their own aren’t enough.

“Activism is more than protests and rallies. Activism is daring to have empathy in a world of division. Activism is art, it’s community, it’s learning. Activism is hope, and please remember this, as long as we are still trying, we have not failed,” said Dr. Jessica Rolynn, addressing the crowd gathered at Caldwell Park for the Pocatello protest.

No Kings protests were put together by local organizers, coordinating through the national 50501 Movement, which is a grassroots political movement that stands for “50 states, 50 protests, 1 day.” There were protests planned in nearly 2,000 locations across the country.

The day of protest was organized in response to President Trump requesting a military parade be added to the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary celebration on June 14, which is both the anniversary of the army and his 79th birthday, according to the Associated Press.

There were somewhere between 500 to 600 people gathered in Driggs, around 1,500 people in Pocatello and approximately 1,300 people gathered in Idaho Falls. Rexburg and Island Park even had small unofficial protests.

There 15 cities total in Idaho with planned protests, with the Idaho Statesman reporting that thousands of people gathered in Boise in front of the Idaho State Capitol.

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The crowd in Pocatello first gathered in Caldwell Park where a number of people spoke, before they marched down three blocks down to the Bannock County Courthouse.

The crowd lined both sidewalks on East Center Street from North 5th Avenue down past North 6th Avenue at the height of the protest. People also gathered on the sidewalks of North 5th Avenue from East Clark Street down close to East Lewis Street.

“It’s a great turnout. I’m really proud of Pocatello and then in every (community participating),” said Elmer Martinez, organizer of the Pocatello protest.

EastIdahoNews.com did not witness anyone actively counter protesting the rally, but at least two cars with Trump flags drove past it. The driver of a truck also revved their engine and blanketed the crowd in thick exhaust while driving down North 5th Avenue.

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The crowd in Idaho Falls met near the Japanese Friendship Garden. As people arrived, both sides of the Broadway Bridge became densely packed. When the bridge became too crowded, people extended a block down either side of the bridge.

Miranda Armenta, the organizer for the Idaho Falls protest, highlighted presidential overreach as the primary reason behind the protest.

“I think it’s important to get people out to rally against that, especially when he is having his military birthday parade today… it’s been great to build this community and get all of these people together,” said Armenta.

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Protesters waved flags and signs while lining the Broadway Bridge and numerous drivers passing by honked their horns or yelled support from their windows. There was minimal intervention from counter protesters, but when it did occur, the protest’s organizers were able to peacefully deescalate issues before they got out of hand.

“Keep on calling your representatives and keep on attending rallies. Our whole goal is to get 3.5% of people, which is about 11 million, out on a protest day. All peacefully protesting, we think that could be really impactful,” Armenta said.

Martinez told EastIdahoNews.com that he hopes more people who attended the protest spend time educating themselves on fascism, calling their local representatives to make their voices heard and organizing their own political groups.

“I’m really appealing to people, that every one of them is a leader. If they care about our country, they need to find a way… They need to inspire other people. It’s too easy to wait for somebody else to lead you to do something that you can join into,” Martinez said.

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