This is what Democracy looks like: Rapid Citians demonstrate at Saturday's No Kings Rally on Omaha Street
There was a decent-sized crowd at the “No Kings” rally in Rapid City on Saturday. Rally-goers were 1-2 people deep on both sides of Omaha Street from Mt. Rushmore Road to 5th Street, which is a distance of 3 blocks. Knowing nothing about crowd estimation, I went to sources I found online, and conclusions on crowd size for my metrics on depth of people and length of gathering were consistently in the 3,000-5,000 people range.
My general sense is that the number was closer to the 3,000 end of that range, an impressive turnout of plenty of folks making the point that they’re fed up with the way the Trump administration is running things.
The gathering was peaceful and had a party-like atmosphere, with mostly friendly honks from passing cars. There were a few upraised middle fingers among the drivers passing through on Omaha Street, but nothing turned confrontational or even particularly unpleasant.
You could say that the event was an American tradition at its finest. One of the many placards I saw pretty well summed it up. Said the sign: “This is what democracy looks like.”
Republican leadership’s over-reaction to this local event, which was one of hundreds of rallies going on simultaneously all over the country, was way off base. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson labeled it a “hate America rally” with a “pro-Hamas wing” instigating it.
Based on what occurred in Rapid City, that’s a ludicrous characterization on both counts. This was not a group of extremists or rabble rousers. Nobody was expressing hatred toward America, and if there was some indication of support for Hamas, I didn’t see it after walking the length of the rally on both sides of Omaha Street.
This rally was about thousands of Rapid Citians making a statement against the Trump administration.
On a national scale, the event drew millions, with Reuters reporting that “by all accounts, the demonstrations were largely festive, often featuring inflatable characters and marchers dressed in costumes. The demographically mixed crowds included parents pushing youngsters in strollers alongside retirees and people with pets in tow. Little, if any, lawlessness was reported.”
I’d say that that characterization applied to this mainstream Rapid City turnout, which was engaging in the most pro-American activity there is: publicly and peacefully demonstrating against what they believe is the wrong turn that our country’s political leadership is taking.
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.
Phot0: John Tsitrian
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