The Crawford County Young Democrats organized a protest in downtown Pittsburg on Oct. 18 as a part of the nation-wide “No Kings” demonstrations. The crowd at Pritchett Pavilion was estimated to be 300 people, made up of Pittsburg State University students, alumni, and Pittsburg community members.
In interviews, two PSU students said that this was their first protest. Their attendance motivated by curiosity and issue with the Trump presidency. Both said they are hopeful that the protest will make an impact.
Organizers of the event within the Crawford County Young Democrats believe that the collective action of the protesters brings the community closer together. Individual protesters have many different reasons for demonstrating, but the protests are generally in opposition to President Donald Trump, the Trump Administration, the administration’s political policies, and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities of detention and deportation. Critics of the protests claim that the demonstrators are opposing the enforcement of laws, the democratic will of the voters, and the United States itself.
Chidera Anyabolu, a freshman majoring in graphic communications, heard about the protest from friends. Anyabolu said that he is not into politics, so he was unfamiliar with the meaning behind the protest, but after some research, Anyabolu found that the message resonated with him.
“I came here with my camera to document and to experience my first ever protest, here at Pitt,” Anyabolu said. “My friends told me that there was a protest happening. I didn’t really know what the ‘No Kings’ protest meant, I’m not into politics at all, but I looked it up and saw that it was against the tyranny of our government and how Donald Trump is destroying what people have built throughout the years and I don’t like that at all. For me to protest that – I feel like that would be true to me, to what I believe.”
Anyabolu was happy with the attention that the protest got and hoped that the administration at Pittsburg State University took note. Anyabolu said he feels as though some voices are not heard at the university, like the voices of the Black Student Association.
“I feel like it’s going great; it’s calm but not too calm,” Anyabolu said. “We’re getting our message out there, we’re being heard. People are honking, seeing what we got going on. I want this (protest) to be seen by not only the people of Pittsburg but also the school as well. From what I’ve seen, we don’t really have anything for us to be heard, not just with this protest but other people who want to get their name out like the Black Student Association.”
K’lynn Lawrence, a freshman majoring in construction management, was also attending a protest for the first time. She was curious so she joined some friends in the hopes of making change.
“I just heard there was a protest against Trump,” Lawrence said. “I wanted to see how it is and experience it, and I’m here with friends too. I’ve never been to a protest before, so it’s kind of new. It’s actually really good and very peaceful. I hope it makes change.”
Jackson Bertoncino, a grad student majoring in human resource development, said he suggested the protest be held and wanted to bring attention to the upcoming elections in Pittsburg, but did not organize the protest. Bertoncino is a candidate for Pittsburg City Commission in the upcoming election.
“Blaise, Christian Blaise Jacks, the treasurer of the Young Dems, did a lot of the organizing,” Bertoncino said. “This was going to be the national ‘No Kings’ Day and so there was some buzz about wanting to do a protest. Given the fact that the elections were coming up, I was the one who suggested that we have a ‘No Kings’ event here and that we frame it as a ‘protect the vote’ type thing and use it as a ‘get out to vote’ opportunity. It went really well; Blaise and all the Young Dems really came together.”
Bertoncino expressed the importance of protests and even though some may doubt their effectiveness, he sees Trump’s reactions to the protests as proof that they are making an impact.
“Protests like these are important,” Bertoncino said. “I think right now a lot of people feel that with everything going on, that there’s not a lot they can do, and they wonder, ‘oh, are these events really doing anything? Are we actually changing things?’ And we are. There’s a reason why Trump and his allies have been throwing shade at these protests for the last couple weeks. They know that what they’re doing is unpopular. There’s more of us than there are of them, and when people get mobilized and galvanized, that is how we make change. So, I’m hoping people realize the power of collective organizing, protesting, and community. That’s what this is really about: the community coming together to protect each other, to uplift each other, and to send a message that this is our country too. Truly loving your country isn’t standing by and watching as these atrocities are happening, it’s speaking up and showing up.”