Similar events nationwide drew millions of people; other local protests held in Grants Pass and Ashland

By James Sloan, Rogue Valley Times

Thousands of people lined both sides of East McAndrews Road in Medford on Saturday as part of organized, nationwide protests against the Trump administration and its policies.

Dubbed “No Kings II,” and following the first “No Kings” protest in June, participants listed many reasons for what brought them out, from the establishment of the United States in opposition to kings or tyrants to the Trump administration’s current actions with ICE, cutting federal spending on critical programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, and perceived actions to curtail freedom of speech.

“We’re here to remind Donald Trump and the GOP that America said no to kings in 1776 with the Declaration of Independence,” said Eric Lindquist, co-leader of the Indivisible political organization and organizer with the group’s local branch, ORD2 Indivisible. “We’re continuing to have these because Trump continues to escalate his violations of the Constitution, violations of the law and trying to make this into a fascist state.”

A “Hands-Off!” protest against the administration was held in April that drew thousands to the streets near Hawthorne Park near downtown Medford.

No crowd size estimates were available from Medford police Saturday afternoon, but the turnout easily mirrored the June 14 “No Kings” protest — also held along McAndrews Road — where police estimated the crowd at 4,000 and organizers claimed it was closer to 7,000.

A similar “No Kings II” protest was held in Grants Pass on Saturday outside the Josephine County Courthouse. While an Ashland event listing on the No Kings website was taken down Wednesday afternoon, numerous social media posts pointed toward a robust presence of demonstrators on Ashland Plaza on Saturday. (See Ashland.news for coverage.)

Protesters on Saturday in Medford brought a wide range of signs, with some attendees wearing inflatable costumes, and the sounds of cheers, honks and some jeers filled the busy Medford thoroughfare throughout the scheduled event. The demonstration ran from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, with protesters lining East McAndrews Road from Biddle Road to Crater Lake Avenue.

“I’m fighting helplessness, so that means some kind of stand to take and some kind of demonstration to make,” said Deborah Small, an attendee. “The fact that my community has this many people who see what’s going on and want to protest it, that feels like a community I want to live in.”

“I’m here because I’m sick of seeing our immigrants and neighbors and families being snatched up by ICE for the crime of pursuing the American dream,” said demonstrator Melissa Freeman. “We are a nation of immigrants.”

The Medford “No Kings II” protest was organized by ORD2 Indivisible, a progressive political organization, and it was co-sponsored by Women’s March Southern Oregon and Rogue Advocates for Tomorrow.

“This is our second ‘No Kings’ protest that we are having; our last one was back in June we had about 7,000 people here at this location and about 5 million people nationwide,” Lindquist said. “There’s all the budget cuts that are happening to SNAP food benefits and Medicaid and Medicare. … We’re trying to bring attention to the fact that what’s happening is not normal, and it’s not OK.”

The protest organizers brought multiple precautions to ensure demonstrators, vehicle drivers and pedestrians would remain safe Saturday.

“We’re hoping that nothing happens, but just in case, we have a huge safety team walking around in orange vests and helping people with crossing the streets, staying out of traffic and making sure cars are watching and aware of what’s going on, and we also have a de-escalation team that’s ready in case anything happens,” Lindquist said.

“No Kings II” is a nonviolent day of action organized by a coalition of 200-plus liberal groups, and more than 2,500 rallies were planned across the United States on Saturday from East Coast cities like Philadelphia, New York City, and Savannah, Georgia, to Western cities such as Portland, Denver and San Francisco.

The coordinated protests first started in June on the same day as the U.S. Army 250th Anniversary Parade and President Trump’s 79th birthday.

To learn more about Oregon District 2 Indivisible, visit ord2indivisible.org.

Reach reporter James Sloan at [email protected]. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times