On Saturday, October 18, thousands of voices resounded outside of the Providence Place Mall, repeatedly chanting: “This is what democracy looks like.” Approximately 32,000 people, according to organizers, from all over Rhode Island marched down Francis Street under the beating sun and peacefully assembled in front of the State House.
This past June, the nationwide No Kings protest reached Providence. Now, almost four months later, the movement has resurfaced in Rhode Island with Providence joining over 2,600 other American cities — and millions of people across the country — in protest. These demonstrations scrutinized the Trump administration’s policies and denounced the President, with the mission of “choosing democracy” over authoritarianism.
Protestors expressed disapproval toward the federal government, while emphasizing the importance of exercising their first amendment rights and making their voices heard. Some of the crowd’s chants included:
“Hey-hey ho-ho, Donald Trump has got to go!”
“Whose country? Our country.”
“Tell me what democracy looks like; this is what democracy looks like.”
“No kings, no genocide; free free free Palestine.”
“Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here!”
A few protestors spoke to The Providence Eye about the ‘No Kings’ movement.
Joe Grenier, of Warwick, rallied outside the State House because he is “Sick and tired of this country barreling down the road to authoritarianism.” Holding a sign that read “No Kings No Fascist,” he criticized the current U.S. government. “Congress is doing nothing to stop him [Trump]. They’ve abdicated all the checks and balances because they’re controlled by his party. I’m tired of it. I’m going to make my voice heard,” Grenier said.
Grenier described the crowd as being made up of “peaceful, good people.” He continues, “Regardless of what certain members of the GOP say, I have not seen any terrorists or violent criminals.”
Grenier was not the only attendee accusing the Trump administration of facism. Many posters shared a similar message with two reading, “Tradesmen against fascism” and, more cheekily, “The fall of fascism is my favorite season.”
Another protester named Kendra from Bristol was dressed in a burgundy cloak and white bonnet—a homage to the handmaid uniforms in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian The Handmaid’s Tale. When asked about her outfit, she described her clothes as “speaking to the repression.”
Kendra said that while she passively observed rallies in the 1970s and 80s, the recent political climate has prompted her to get involved. “I’ve never been to a protest before Donald Trump came into being,” Kendra said. “I hate everything that’s happening, and I’d like it to change.” She noted similarities between demonstrations in the late twentieth century––including the Civil Rights, anti-Vietnam war, and LGBTQ+ movements—and the No Kings protest.
For Larry of East Providence, this event marks his first protest: “It’s gotten to the point now where I feel if I don’t say something, or if I don’t take part, then I’m not doing my part” Larry said. When asked if he would participate in more protests, Larry expressed interest in returning to the No Kings march. “We just got to keep saying it louder and louder and louder and to the point where he [Trump] just can’t take it anymore. Larry continued, joking: “We know he likes crowds, so we can crowd him out.”
While the objective of the No Kings protest was to criticize the Trump Administration’s alleged corruption, the protest was not limited to one political movement. With people waving LGBTQ+ flags to holding up signs that read “HEALTHCARE 4 ALL, GUN REFORM NOW, PROTECT OUR PLANET,” community members advocated for various social issues affected by the Trump administration’s policies.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated on 10/24 to reflect the fact that the estimate of 32,000 attendees was provided by the rally organizers.
Kendra Eastep and Daneisha Rodriguez are Brown University SPRINT Fellows at The Providence Eye. They both study English and are involved with student publications on campus. The two like to get coffee together every Wednesday and eat corn muffins from the dining hall.
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