Tuesday afternoon, about 10 protesters gathered in the grassy area in front of Longhorn Steakhouse and Arby’s for what was billed as a peaceful protest called No Kings, No Occupation.
Organizers said it would be an anti-Trump, anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement event in solidarity with the Free America Walkout by 50501, focused on opposing authoritarian policies, mass deportations, and U.S. militarism while emphasizing community solidarity and organizing.
The protest took place between noon and 2 p.m. and was permitted by the City of Douglas so long as protesters stayed out of the roadway. Organizer Lawton Hurst issued the following statement regarding the protest:
“We’re out here because Trump is attacking people on every front at once. ICE is terrorizing immigrant communities and tearing families apart. Social programs people rely on for food, heat, and healthcare are being cut while costs skyrocket. At the same time, the environment is being destroyed and dissent is being criminalized.
“We’re also protesting U.S. imperialism abroad. Trump is threatening and carrying out military violence overseas while pretending to be a peace president. In Venezuela alone, hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured in strikes and destabilization efforts. Sanctions and blockades are starving millions, while Venezuelans in the U.S. are targeted by ICE and disappeared into detention.
“Nicolas Maduro was elected by Venezuelan voters. Trump was not. Zero Venezuelans voted for Trump, yet he claims authority over their country whilst posting on Truth Social claiming to be the acting president of Venezuela. That’s not democracy. That’s the behavior of a military strongman and a fascist dictator.
“This protest is about refusing racism, war, and poverty — the same three evils Martin Luther King Jr. warned about. We’re here to say we don’t consent to cages, occupation, or empire. We believe the only real answer is people organizing together and building power from the ground up. That’s why we’re here.”
Hurst has organized at least two other protests in the same location over the last year.
