Several hundred protesters marched through downtown Bowling Green as part of the nationwide “No Kings” protest on Saturday.
“No Kings” was organized by SOKY Indivisible to protest the Trump administration and military parade, which took place in Washington, D.C., for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, which coincided with President Donald Trump’s birthday. “No Kings” is part of a larger national protest organized by 50501, an advocacy group which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, one movement. There are nearly 2,000 scheduled “No Kings” protests across the country.
Joyce Adkins, an organizer with SOKY Indivisible, said the event was co-sponsored by Bowling Green Neighbors, Bowling Green Freedom Walkers, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth and the Poor People’s Campaign.
Protesters met at the Warren County Courthouse, where Nashville-based musician Hugh Trimble led the crowd in protest songs, including a sing-along of “This Land is Your Land.”
Warren County Sheriff Brett Hightower was outside the courthouse, greeting protesters as city police blocked off roads for the protest.
“We celebrate anyone who wants to come out and protest in a peaceful manner,” Hightower said.
Jordan Lawson drew attention from protesters as he began preaching the gospel at the courthouse. Lawson said he was inspired to preach at protests after reading about early Christians such as Paul and Timothy doing the same.
“I was really nervous to do this,” Lawson said. “This is only the second time I’ve ever done this.”
Attention was turned away from Lawson to the louder and more experienced Nicholas Bowling, who has amassed over 900,000 followers on social media, preaching at protests and on college campuses.
“There’s a lot of people who have gathered here today, so there’s a lot of people to preach the word of God to,” Bowling said.
After Bowling began to speak at the courthouse, the crowd marched down College Street to Circus Square Park, waving picket signs and shouting various chants such as “No Kings,” “No justice, no peace” and “Free Ernesto.”
Ernesto Manuel Andres was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) on June 4 despite being in the country legally. Hightower said the Sheriff’s Department has started communications with ICE regarding Andres and hopes there will be a resolution within “the next seven to 14 days.”
Gerry Brown could be seen marching in his taco costume with the crowd.
“I’ve been hearing some people calling the president a TACO,” said Brown. “Trump Always Chickens Out, I believe it stands for.”
Brown said he believes President Trump needs to listen to the protests going on across the nation.
“That’s what makes America,” Brown said. Freedom of speech.”
Retired police officer John Patterson sat alongside College Street, flying an upside-down Thin Blue Line American flag. Patterson said he chose to fly the Thin Blue Line American flag to show solidarity to the police working the protest.
“I flipped it upside-down purposely,” Patterson explained. “This country is in distress, and that’s what an upside-down flag, even a normal American flag, that’s what it would mean.”
Patterson said Trump’s remarks regarding encouraging police to “HIT” protesters who spit at them and his deployment of National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles are proof that freedom is being lost.
Once at Circus Square Park, protesters lined both sides of East 7th Avenue and chanted at passing cars.
Protester Randy Benjamin drew parallels between the “No Kings” protest and protests against the Vietnam War he remembered.
“March after march after march, nothing happened,” Benjamin said. “It turned out it mattered, it mattered a whole lot in the end, we just didn’t know about it at the time.”
Benjamin said he believed Trump has been acting in violation of the Constitution, and he hopes the protest can bring about change.
“What we’ll accomplish, I don’t know,” Benjamin said. “But if we stay silent, nothing will happen.
