Hundreds of demonstrators filled Center Street Saturday afternoon as they walked from the Big Red Statue at the corner of Alumni Avenue to the Warren County Justice Center for the second “No Kings” march in Bowling Green. 

The event, one of more than 2,500 organized across the country, was organized by SOKY Indivisible, an activism and advocacy group based in Bowling Green, and cosponsored by the Southern Kentucky League of Women Voters.

“We have a leader that wants to be a king,” said Patti Zen, 68, of Bowling Green. “He thinks he can own everything, and he also thinks that if you disagree, he can oust you. We’re done with it.”

Bill DeLong, an Army veteran, said he voted for Trump in 2016 because he thought he was different, as a non-politician outsider.

“Did I make a mistake? Yeah, because I realized he was no better than the rest of them,” Bill DeLong said. “When you see these people get rolled up off the streets, hoods thrown on, thrown in a van and taken somewhere else, that’s not what I served 22 years in this country for.”

DeLong said he was a federal employee up until April, when he quit “because of DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency), because they were getting rid of everybody anyway.” After his re-election, President Trump announced he would appoint Elon Musk to lead DOGE, which created chaos congress is still trying to parse through.

“We live in supposedly the best country on the earth. We are supposed to be that bright, shining example,” DeLong said. “To me, that’s what America is about—take care of everybody.”

Bill was joined by his wife, Renea, and their two children. 

“It doesn’t matter if you’re black, white, rich, poor, Republican, Independent Democrat, we should all want the same thing because we’re American,” Renea DeLong said.

Concerned citizens of all backgrounds gathered to protest the Trump administration for a variety of reasons, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s raids and detentions, major federal budget cuts to public programs, the deployment of federalized National Guard troops in major cities across the country and military strikes against boats in the Caribbean Sea that have now killed at least 27.

“We see that people are rising up, and where the people rise up, we’re going to be somewhere around,” said Charles Neblett of Russellville. 

Neblett was a founding member of the Freedom Singers, a quartet that toured the country during the Civil Rights Movement to sing hymns and protest songs. 

“People feel it, and we got to still be out there, speaking up, acting up and stacking up, that’s really important,” Neblett said.

Neblett said seeing such a turnout “let me know that my living has not been in vain.”

Demonstrators like Michael Zen said they felt discouraged by the direction the country has taken.

“Everything I stood for and leaned in and fought for, for 50 years, is thrown out the window in seven months,” Michael Zen said. “If people don’t stand up against this government now, I’m worried about the next election even happening.”

Michael and Patti Zen said they were concerned about the rise of Christian Nationalism and its role in bringing Trump and his allies to the political forefront.

“They want to say that they believe in the Bible, but the thing about it is, they make it all ugly, there’s no love, and that’s not what the Bible says,” Patti Zen said.

Renee Basil held a sign that identified herself as a Christian, college-educated, an independent fact-checker and a former Republican “renegade,” for changing her party affiliation and standing up against where she was before.

Basil said she thought President Trump meant what he said when he “announced that Christians only had to go and vote in the last election, they would never have to vote again,” referring to comments President Trump made at The Believers’ Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida last July.

Protestors were concerned by the Trump administration’s politicization of public and governmental organizations that are supposed to remain neutral, including using public agency websites to blame Democrats for the government shutdown and using it as an excuse to cut staff and funding from federal programs.

“He’s taking money that has already been allocated,” said Kay Whitt, 68, of Scottsville. “How many billion dollars did he just send to Argentina while he’s cutting SNAP and Medicaid? The most vulnerable people among us are the ones that are being hurt the most.”

Whitt said she worried about the recent mass layoffs in the Department of Education, which include many employees essential to special education services.

“What’s going to happen to all these kids, you know?” Whitt asked. “Most of the parents I know that have disabled children are hanging on by their fingernails, and we already have an overwhelming number of kids who need those services.”

Whitt expressed dismay at Republican elected officials “saying that we’re Antifa and that we’re paid. It puts a little element of fear of exposing yourself like this.”

Whitt said she believed the administration was intent on driving division with its rhetoric and actions.

“He’s trying to start a civil war, that’s what he wants, I mean, why else do it?” Whitt said.

Whitt continued, “They’re not arresting criminals, they’re going to places of work and dragging people out.”

Valerie Brown said she was “very appalled at Trump’s hypocrisy,” including accusing “political enemies” of infractions he has been found guilty of and the difference in responses to political violence over the last several months.

Brown mentioned that the last No Kings rally in Bowling Green was held the same day Minnesota state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were shot and killed by Vance Luther Boelter, shortly after he shot and wounded Minnesota state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, according to ABC News.

“There was no big deal made about assassinating them,” Brown said.

Brown compared that response to the public outcry following the assassination of Charlie Kirk three months later, despite him not being an elected official, including a stadium funeral and a posthumous Presidential Medal of Honor.

Gabriel Chambers, a senior meteorology major, rode back and forth through the protest on his bike and got in the middle of demonstrators as he waved a pro-Trump flag.

“I’m trying to find out what king they’re protesting,” Chambers said. “If there’s a king that’s trying to come for Trump, I’m against that 100%.”

Chambers said he agreed with most of Trump’s agenda, and that he “liked” the ICE raids mandated by Trump.

“If I got detained, I would present all my information, because I’m a law-abiding citizen,” Chambers said.

Chambers was arrested in 2022 and charged with 4th degree dating violence.

More than 170 U.S. citizens have been detained by immigration agents this year, according to ProPublica.

“When you’re sitting at home and you’re listening to people’s rights being taken away and people of color kidnapped by an out-of-control police agency, it breaks my heart,” Basil said. “It warms my heart to know that I’m not alone, that others are against this current government regime.”