A four-hour No Kings Rally was held Saturday at 12th and Main in Durant to protest the Trump administration.
Pat Notley, chair of the Bryan County Democratic Party, estimated that about 145 people total attended the protest. She said they were not all there at once, and people came and went.
Erik Terwey, a candidate for Oklahoma’s Second Congressional District, was present at the beginning of the protest.
The No Kings Rally was a nationwide event, and organizers said approximately 8 million people participated and that there were also pro- tests in other countries.
Kandace Keith said she was there because she does not believe in this regime.
“I believe in the No Kings,” Keith said. “This dictatorship that’s going on right now, fascism. I can’t have it and anything I can do in my community to get rid of that hate. To help people support and show people it’s not right and do it in my community. I’m going to be here. There’s just no (place for) hate. There’s no place for it.”
Lisa Hulsey of Moore and Lara Brown of Del City said they traveled together to attend the protest in Durant.
“We saw that the protest was going to be here, and we thought little towns needed support because we had been to protests in the city, but there’s way more people,” Hulsey said. “The numbers are growing here, but we wanted to add to the support.
“The administration needs a reset, and it takes support and protests and numbers and unity to make that kind of thing be prevalent to people that don’t know or don’t think that their voice matters.”
Brown said she went to the last No Kings rally in Oklahoma City where thousands attended.
“I wondered who would show up in the smaller towns and worried that it wouldn’t be as many people as it could be,” Brown said. “So, we decided to just make it a thing that we’re going to go to small towns from now on for the marches and protests and really show our support in a way that seems to make a bigger impact.
“I have a grandson and I’d love for him to grow up in a better world than the one that they’re making for us right now.”
Willard Harrison said that if the Republicans would do their jobs as they were elected to do, the protest would not be necessary.
“They’re not standing up to their responsibility,” Harrison said. “They’re ignoring the Constitution just like he is. So, with that in mind, I hope they wake up and do the right thing.”
