Photos by Austin Wymore
By Nelson Kerr-Ritchie
7 million “radical marxists” “paid for by [George] Soros and other radical left lunatics” gathered to protest on Oct. 18. At least, that’s what President Donald Trump said on Air Force One while the protests were happening.
According to Durham protest organizer Keith Bullock, the protest was because people understand the severity of the current political situation.
“This isn’t about politics, this is about our future,” he said during an interview on the day of the protest. “This is about where I’m going to live, what I’m going to eat, what quality of life I’m going to have.”
Bullock believes Americans’ futures are in danger due to unlawful arrests and family separations.
“Communities are the ones trying to keep [people] safe,” he said.
The No King’s Protest was organized by the national organization Indivisible. Per its website, the purpose of the protest was to say “America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people.”
NBC reported that 7 million people gathered in this protest nationwide. According to Britannica, this was the second largest single day protest in American History, second only to the first Earth Day in 1970.
In Durham, 6,000 to 7,000 rallied under the No Kings Banner, according to Indy Week.
A series of leaders spoke at Central Park from 2-3 PM, including a teacher, a professor, and a pastor. Following this, the crowd marched through downtown, before having a final rally at Central Park to wrap up.
The rally was organized by various unions in Durham, including the Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW), the Carolinanian Amazonians united for Solidarity and Empowerment. (CAUSE), and the triangle branch of the AFL CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations).
Bullock, who is also a USSW representative, wanted to make one thing clear at the end of the rally.
“It’s not just people trying to take power in the white house,” he said. “It’s also wannabe kings in our cities, in our communities, in the head of these corporations that are taking advantage of people each and every day.”
