BY STACIE LETT CAIN
Several hundred people gathered in Downtown Statesville on Saturday to participate in one of more than 3,300 “No Kings” demonstrations held in all 50 states. The protests, organized by more than 300 organizations, were held to call attention to the policies and actions of the Trump administration.
Nationally, organizers called it the largest single-day nonviolent protest in modern American History with an estimated 8 million people participating.
In Statesville, protesters showed up in the Square early, carrying homemade signs and chanting.
“For me, this all started with seeing how cruel, violent, and lawless ICE agents were acting,” said Maggie Hurst, a Statesville resident who protests most Saturdays downtown on the square. “After the first protest in Hickory last April, I felt that I, personally, needed to put myself out there in a highly visible way, to our Statesville community.”
Another participant, Peggy Palmer, said she hopes members of Congress will change their ways.
“What bothers me most isn’t any single policy,” she explained. “It’s that Congress is watching all of this happen and doing nothing -– they’ve chosen their party over their country.”
But if there was an issue that she felt passionate about, it would be, like Hurst, immigration.
“Immigration enforcement has always been part of the law, but what’s changed is the atmosphere of fear and random targeting that goes far beyond anything we have ever seen before,” she said. “I’m not at this rally because I hate the other side. I’m here because I remember when we disagreed and still found common ground, and I want that country back.”
Statesville police officers were on hand to ensure that there were no public safety issues.
“Everything has been going very smoothly today,” Captain Anthony Hamby said. “We fully support everyone’s First Amendment rights and are very pleased that everything today has been going without incident.”
As Hamby spoke, a man in a white Cadillac SUV pulled up to the traffic light, opened his door and yelled “Jesus is the only King” repeatedly into the crowd. Hamby, watching closely to see what came next, heard a voice from the crowd exclaim: “Thank you for sharing your belief!”
With that, the man returned to his vehicle and drove away.
“That’s what I mean,” Hamby said. “It’s all going smoothly.”
Hurst said the protests have the power to change individual hearts — if not the Trump administrations policies.
“I think these protests raise awareness that those of us who call ourselves ‘Christians’ are called to live our lives in a way that aligns with Christ’s teachings to seek peace, love our neighbors as ourselves, feed the hungry, and so forth,” she explained. “These demonstrations do me good, personally, in taking two hours a week to try and make our community a better place.”
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BUT “KING” OBAMA WAS OK WITH THESE “PROTESTERS!?!”
Think about it. Could be Kamala and fraud Walz. Omg. Use the brain God gave you. Oh, you don’t believe in God. Or we can be like New York with their mayor.
Coming from someone who voted for a convicted felon. Use your brain!
Nothing more than a small group who believe socialism is the answer and the rule of law does not matter. Those breaking our laws are called ILLEGAL aliens for a reason.
I definitely agree with the man in the white Cadillac SUV. His statement bore more truth than anything written on the protesters signs.
Nice that the communists have a day to be idiots. The No Kings rally is funded by Communist organizations. They should be thankful they live in a free country. They wouldn’t be allowed to be idiots in a Communist country.
You are 100% correct: these vile protesters are pure communist and should be treated as traitors. TDS on full display.
Typical no kings protesters:
No thinkKing,
No worKing,
No fact checKing,
No maKing sense.
Everyone sees your lies and stupidity.
Name just 1 right you lost under TRUMP. Just 1.
Calling fellow Americans “traitors” for exercising their First Amendment rights is a serious claim. Peaceful protest — whether we agree with it or not — is one of the most fundamental freedoms we have. If that’s considered traitorous, then what exactly does free speech mean anymore?
You also asked to name a right that people feel has been challenged or lost. Whether you agree with these concerns or not, many Americans would point to issues like due process in detention cases, protections against unlawful search and seizure, medical autonomy, or how certain laws are applied and enforced. These are real concerns for people, even if you personally don’t share them.
Dismissing others as “communists” or “stupid” doesn’t address those concerns — it avoids them.
We’re all better off when we can debate ideas without labeling entire groups of people as enemies of the country. Disagreement is not disloyalty. In fact, the ability to openly disagree is one of the clearest signs that we’re still a free nation.
I can`t believe that they let the sh@# in Statesville and iredell county. this is not the home i grew up in.
I 100% agree with you, Kathy Johnson.
I can’t believe that Statesville and Iredell County wholeheartedly support MAGA, TRUMP, and the evil GOP when they openly support Child Sex Traffickers and Convicted Rapists, the president’s pardoning of convicted drug dealers for pay, and much, much worse; defiling and ignoring the Constitution; and taking the Lord’s Name in Vain by using Jesus to justify War, and using the Bible as sales prop and putting Trump’s name on it in gold. It is truly shocking!!!
Release the Epstein Files! Release them now! Obey the law!
I pray that Jesus will eternally forgive you all for being so blinded by power, greed, and ambition to allow for these horrible crimes to be perpetrated by Trump, MAGA, and the GOP against the innocents that He protects.
What crimes?????
Goodness… there’s a lot of anger and name-calling in these comments, and that’s disappointing to see in our own community.
What I saw were Americans exercising a fundamental right — the same right that allows any of us to speak out when we disagree with something. We don’t have to agree with the message to respect the principle behind it.
Labeling people as “idiots,” “communists,” or worse doesn’t strengthen an argument — it just shuts down any chance of understanding each other. If anything, it highlights how divided we’ve become.
One of the things that makes this country strong is that people with very different views can speak freely without fear. That applies to everyone — not just when we agree with them.
Maybe we would all benefit from taking a step back and trying to understand why others see things differently. Growth starts with recognizing that our own perspective may not be complete, and being open to learning — even when it challenges what we’ve long believed.
We can disagree strongly on issues and still treat each other with basic respect. If we lose that, we lose more than any political argument.
Man, y’all sure are uptight. So, in your small world, everyone has to agree with you?
These protesters lost a lot of people when they called it “No Kings.” Trump is not a king as evidenced by the many court decisions that have not gone the administration’s way. That’s not to say that many of the decisions have been affirmed by the SCOTUS. Some were 9-0 or 8-1, destroying the narrative that SCOTUS is a rubber stamp for Trump. Every administration tries to see how far they can go. Just like Obama. People should research how many of the Obama administration’s decisions were overturned by the courts. There will be presidential elections in 2028. Trump won’t be on the ballot. And a Democrat will probably win. Because that’s what usually happens. We go back and forth between the two parties. And you can bet Republicans will protest whoever the president is if it is a Democrat. But they won’t call it “No Kings” because the fact that a new president was elected is undeniable proof that they are not kings.
IGNORANCE at it’s best!!