More than 1,000 strong, ‘No Kings’ group in Idaho Falls protests actions of Trump Administration
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IDAHO FALLS — As “No Kings” protests were held across the country on Saturday, more than 1,000 people added their voice to the movement to make their frustration with the Trump Administration known.
EastIdahoNews.com spoke with one of the organizers of the Idaho Falls “No Kings” rally, Chance Marshall, who said it is the second-highest attended rally in the city.
“It really just tells the story of how tired our community is of being underrepresented. They want to change; they want difference,” said Marshall, who is also a candidate for Idaho Legislative District 33 Seat A.
The protest began at 11 a.m., with a few dozen community members at the Broadway Bridge. By 1 p.m., about 400 had gathered near the Idaho Falls Greenbelt Bandshell, where two live bands performed.
Community members heard from the protest’s organizers and Joseph Funk, a member of Veterans Against Fascism and About Face: Veterans Against Fascism.
Funk said he was first deployed to Iraq 10 years ago as a member U.S. Army. He said he’s frustrated with the current conflict in the Middle East because he sees the same messages political leaders used to justify the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan a decade ago being used again today.
“I was part of those wars; we cannot do that again,” Funk said. “We cannot do that to those serving in the military.”
Funk said he now travels the country with other veterans to protest against actions they perceive as fascism.
Idaho Falls resident Marsha Nipper, who was also at the protest, told EastIdahoNews.com that for members of her generation — the boomers — this is the same situation they saw time and time again during the Cold War.
What makes today’s situation worse, she said, is that she sees the actions by ICE and the Trump administration as mirroring the early days of Germany under Nazi control.
“We recognize what we’re seeing, and we recognize the dangers … the denigrating of people in the communities and setting community people against each other,” Nipper said.
For her, it was inspiring to see a large number of young people at the protest, who she said are noticing what’s happening in the country and speaking out.
“Think of boomers as the support team for the younger generations,” Nipper said with a laugh.
One unique aspect of Saturday’s rally was a group of residents there to sing. They called themselves Voices of Hope, and organizer Rachel Skousen, from Rigby, said she was inspired by a friend’s teenage son who mentioned the idea. She said the idea was to have a choir sing at a protest about freedom, with meaning.
“That idea lit a fire in my heart,” Skousen said. “We are a choir that wants to be a voice for compassion, courage, kindness, human rights and justice.”
The songs performed by the group were compiled by an organization called Justice Choir, which Skousen said is based in Minneapolis. She said the thing that brought her out to sing was her concern about the actions of ICE agents and the constitutional violations she believes have occurred.
“I’m really concerned about corruption in the executive office and the way that that has filtered down into the other branches of government,” Skousen said.
Hundreds of east Idahoans also gathered in downtown Pocatello on Saturday for a “No Kings” rally there. Steve Neiner, an organizer, said the turnout looked similar to the past “No Kings” protest in Pocatello.
RELATED | ‘No Kings’ protest draws hundreds in downtown Pocatello
“No Kings” protests like these were held in cities across the nation on Saturday, with events planned in all 50 states. Organizers said they expected more than 9 million people, nationwide, to show up and protest.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that the White House has dismissed the nationwide protests as the product of “leftist funding networks” with little real public support.
