The second nationwide coordinated No Kings rally sees a dozen inflatable costumes in Ashland Plaza; Medford line of protesters nears a mile, attracts a Trump-supporting father-son duo
By Sydney Seymour, Ashland.news
Frogs, unicorns, dinosaurs, pandas, flamingos and a hippo in a tutu twirled through the Ashland Plaza Saturday at 10:30 a.m., waving their No Kings signs. Even video game characters Mario and Yoshi made an appearance.
Cheers, honks, bubbles, peace signs, whistles and applause from fellow activists of all ages followed a dozen of inflatable characters around the Plaza all the way up to the traffic light at Pioneer Street.
Fighting for democracy in inflatable costumes, said Dana Micks-Reynolds (dressed as a frog), shows they have nothing to be afraid of. “We’re not terrorists. We’re just Americans who are showing up,” she said, explaining how the frog evokes a peaceful demonstration.
Despite a simultaneous rally in Medford and confusion on whether the organized event in Ashland required a permit, at least 1,000 activist Ashlanders gathered for the third nationwide protest against President Donald Trump, including a Bans Off rally in May and No Kings I in June.
Those showing up Saturday joined more than 2,500 demonstrations across the U.S., including 70 in Oregon. Saturday events were mainly organized by the progressive grassroots organizations 50501 Movement and Indivisible.
The “brigade of frogs,” not only took the form of inflatable costumes — green outfits, headpieces, shirts and signs all contributed to the frog movement. Micks-Reynolds, with a No Kings cape on her back, said the group of locals were inspired by the Portland Frog, the activist in an inflatable frog costume who got pepper sprayed by an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer during a protest.
Passing through the crowd, one frog shouted, “Use humor to fight hate. John Lennon’s strategy.” (The late Beatle is quoted as saying, “once they’ve got you violent, then they know how to handle you. The only thing they don’t know how to handle is non-violence and humor.”)
Among cars with their windows down playing “FDT” by YG, those at the rally could hear the sound of a Navajo buffalo drum, a trumpet and a singer with their ukulele. Activists not in inflatable costumes were often in onesies, yellow, balloon hats or a wide range of costumes — from bees to aliens to a taco and a skunk. Attendees expressed concerns with signs criticizing Trump and opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the deployment of National Guard to American cities, gun violence and more.
Ashland Police Officer JR Godley arrived at the Plaza around 10:40 a.m. and was later joined by Officer Emershey. An hour into the rally, they reported no incidents.
Neighbors greeted each other, cars consistently honked and dogs barked to add to the noise.
“This is great,” an activist in the crowd said. “It just keeps growing.” Another said, “I love this.”
‘This is what democracy looks like’
“Tell me what democracy looks like,” activist Ron Robbins repeatedly chanted while walking down Main Street with his cane in hand. “This is what democracy looks like,” the crowd repeated back.
Robbins later told Ashland.news, “We are one country and one people. We may have our disagreements, but we’re one people and we should start acting like that. It’s not us against them.”
Wearing a crocheted frog headband and a sunflower atop her cane, Amelia Bruno said she participated in the Ashland protest to help teach the next generation how to peacefully protest and stand with her neighbors. “Ashland has a long history of peaceful demonstrations,” she said. “I want to keep peaceful dissent alive in Ashland.”
Two 12-year-old “besties” Snapdragon Marie Jerkson and Mia Henderson attended the rally with a group of close friends.
Jerkson and their family moved to Ashland from Redding due to politics. “Even after moving out of a really fascist city, I still don’t really feel safe with everything that’s going on as a bi- and non-binary person. It’s just scary. We might not have a future if this continues. I’m probably not allowed to swear,” Jerkson said, thinking of her next words, “so duck frump.”
Henderson added, “We cannot trust our government right now. It’s gotten ridiculous. So I feel like I need to do the best I can and I need to protect the future at all costs.”
A child of Mexican American immigrants, she said it was her “duty” as an American citizen to fight facism. “My parents sacrificed so much for me,” she said. “It’s my right, it’s my right, and it’s my pleasure to fight for us.”
Hugging a friend she bumped into at the rally, Talent resident Luciene Cruz said she came to the rally in Ashland because “this is family. This is a community we want to support, a life without pressure and without inhumanity.”
Born and raised in Brazil until she was 29, Cruz has lived in the valley for 36 years. She continued, “We want this government to understand that we are not guinea pigs. We are humans. We are people that built this country and we deserve to be in this country.”
Another activist, Jen Wood, held a #itookaction sign to inspire others to pause and recognize they attended the protest today. She said, “So many people are feeling, what more can I do? It was enough that we’re at this protest today. It’s to remind ourselves and celebrate that for a minute.”
The Medford rally
On East McAndrews Road, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., even more activists — and inflatable costumes — in Medford lined the streets for almost a mile from Crater Lake Avenue to Biddle Road.
The resistance chicken dance party about halfway down the line, started by husband and wife Micheal and Samantha Lindgren, had activists take a break, dance, and smile before moving down the road.
Just after taking off his white chicken inflatable costume and talking over funky music, Micheal Lindgren said, “There’s no reason to not dance and have fun while resisting a dictatorship. If you take it too seriously, they’ll just hammer you in and you’ll wither away. You have to inject some joy into it. What can I do as a human? Well, I know how to dance and how to buy a chicken suit. So what else, right?”
While co-leader and organizer of Oregon District 2 Indivisible Eric Lindquist didn’t have a crowd estimate, he said they took up more space than the 7,000 people did last time. “We had spill over on both ends, around the corners and down the street,” he said. One attendee estimated three times as many people as the rally in June.
A team of 70 volunteers helped with de-escalation and traffic. Lindquist reported no incidents — just a few de-escalation calls but “nothing serious.” In regards to Trump supporters showing up, Lindquist only reported a few big diesel trucks laying on their horns and a man arguing with him about free speech.
But at one end of the rally — near the corner with a 7-Eleven store — father Dion and his 12-year-old son held a sign that said “Medford loves Trump” on one side and “send the troops” on the other.
He told Ashland.news, “I believe that most people here are uninformed. Most people’s statements on these signs, they can’t even back up with any kind of evidence. I’m just standing up. Charlie Kirk would do the same thing.”
The father-son duo got into a few discussions with No King activists: one lasting at least 20 minutes, one resulting in an activist looking up a photo of Trump and sex offender Jeffery Epstein and another ending in Dion calling a woman a “witch” and “deranged.” His 12-year-old son added, “Walk away.”
Medford resident and No Kings activist Maria, who spoke with Dion, said, “I don’t know if we can convince enough minds, but I hope we can.” When asked about any other Trump supporters, she pointed to Dion and said, “This is really the main guy.”
Amanda Mazanares, who lives with autism and chronic illness, said to Ashland.news she wants to “be a voice for the people that aren’t being listened to.” She expressed her love, support and empathy for others.
Lindquist continued, “We’re here today because fascist regimes are successful by squashing all of our rights, including the freedom of speech. We said ‘no’ to kings in 1776 and we’re saying it again now.”
“Courage is contagious,” he said. “These events get bigger and bigger each time, so that we can grow to a size where we have more influence over what’s happening and we have more power to resist fascism.”
Email Ashland.news Snowden reporter Sydney Seymour at [email protected].
Related stories:
Thousands line busy Medford thoroughfare for second ‘No Kings’ protest (Oct. 19, 2025)
Tens of thousands protest across Oregon as part of No Kings day (Oct. 19, 2025)
‘No Kings’ anti-Trump protests set for Saturday in Oregon, Southwest Washington (Oct. 17, 2025)
Update: Organizer takes down Ashland No Kings II event notice, Medford ‘No Kings II’ rally still on track (October 13, 2025)
