Protesters lined the intersection; many carried colorful homemade signs, some waved huge flags and almost all chanted despite Saturday morning’s windy chill. Music filled the air, and many sang along.
‘No Kings’ rallies took place thousands of times across the country as millions of protesters united to encourage early voting in the upcoming midterm elections. Five rallies drew crowds across the Syracuse area; protesters lined the streets along Hiawatha Boulevard, South Salina Street and East Erie Boulevard in Syracuse; Genesee Street in DeWitt; and West Genesee Street in Fairmount.
At one ‘No Kings’ rally, protesters lined Hiawatha Boulevard near Destiny USA. It came a week after the most recent ‘No Kings’ protest, which took place when President Donald Trump visited Syracuse. Before Saturday’s protest, the primary focus had been on anti-Trump rhetoric and candidates. This time the crowd had a singular message: vote early.
One protester, Kim O’Brien, a mother from Liverpool, held a Halloween sign that read, ‘If you ghost this election, you will be haunted. Vote November 3rd.’ O’Brien said she was worried about her children’s future and recognized the strength in numbers.
“There’s waving, there’s cheering, everybody has creative signs. And I think there is a lot of love for the country that we live in right now,” O’Brien said.
The ‘No Kings’ organization strives to be nonpartisan. The majority of protesters at the Destiny rally identified as Democrats, some as moderates, and one said he was a Republican but had changed his registration earlier this year.
Up the road, Kristen Kukula, a Liverpool resident, held two signs while standing on Hiawatha Boulevard. In her right hand she held a sign reading ‘Stop Trump, save democracy’; in her left, another reading ‘Impeach, remove, convict.’ President Trump’s policies, including his recent cuts to Medicaid, hit close to home for Kukula.
“My son qualifies for Medicaid; I’m terrified I’m going to lose that for him. I don’t know what will happen if I lose that. You know, it’s really hard to survive,” she said. “I want to cry every time I go to the grocery store.”
The founder of the ‘No Kings’ rally, Ezra Levin, explained the purpose of pushing early voting to NPR’s Ava Berger. He pointed to three indicators of interference: the White House administration’s failed efforts to require proof of U.S. citizenship when voting, concerns about ICE agents targeting polling places on Election Day and attempts to restrict voting by mail.
Across Hiawatha Boulevard from O’Brien and Kukula stood Kim Chatfield, holding a sign from an earlier ‘No Kings’ protest a year ago. It read ‘Dump Trump.’
To her neighbors who could not make it to Saturday’s rally, she had this message: “If you’re not out here today, that’s okay, but you need to start voting on the 24th and November 3rd.”
Chatfield, like many Americans, said President Trump’s policies had affected her family personally. The price of gas, the cost of food, health care and threats to Social Security weighed heavily on her mind and brought her to the streets.
“Vote like it’s your last,” she said urgently, “like you’re gonna die the next day and that’s the last vote you’ll ever make in your life.”