No Kings rally in Rapid City yesterday was packed with demonstrators united by their contempt for Trump’s policies

By my very rough estimate, two to three thousand people lined both sides of Rapid City’s Omaha Street yesterday,  just along the north edge of downtown, as part of a nationwide series of protests dubbed the No  Kings rallies.

There were hundreds of homemade signs, impromptu drum groups, and a steady flow of traffic along Omaha Street that seemed strongly supportive of the demonstrators. Automobile horns were blowing constantly, with many waves and thumbs up signs coming from drivers and occupants.

I saw only one obscene gesture coming from a guy who was hooting and booing.

The crowd stretched for about a half mile of Omaha street and looked to be about three or four people deep on the south side and one or two people deep on the north.  

The signs they carried took aim at the Iran war, high gas prices, the Epstein files, ICE and Trump’s governing style.

Having come of age during the ‘60s, I was struck by the contrast in age groups between demonstrators of my era and the demonstrators I saw yesterday. The crowds of my day were much younger, probably driven by concerns about getting sucked into the quagmire of the Vietnam war and the drive toward racial equality. The crowd yesterday was much older by contrast.  Many were seniors.

I think this reflects the fact that concerns raised today affect all generations and races of Americans, not just those focused on social justice and an end to the war in Vietnam.  

Those concerns were highlighted by yesterday’s demonstrators in Rapid City, who peacefully made their points that our nation’s leadership has been failing them.

John Tsitrian is a businessman and writer from the Black Hills. He was a weekly columnist for the Rapid City Journal for 20 years. His articles and commentary have also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Denver Post and The Omaha World-Herald. Tsitrian served in the Marines for three years (1966-69), including a 13-month tour of duty as a radioman in Vietnam. Republish with permission.

Photo: John Tsitrian

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