‘No Kings’ returns: Eastern Idaho gears up for nationwide day of action
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POCATELLO – Multiple cities in eastern Idaho will join the rest of the country in the third iteration of a national day of action protesting “tyranny.”
The third ‘No Kings’ protest is scheduled to take place on Saturday, with over 3,000 local events planned across the country, according to a news release from the national No Kings Coalition. Five of these events will take place in eastern Idaho, and organizers with two of them spoke with EastIdahoNews.com about how they’ll help more people get involved with activism that goes further than attending a protest.
“A big goal for this is, how do we start to give people opportunities to engage, activate, resist … more consistently?” John Eckert, an organizer with Southeast Idaho Citizens for Democracy, says. “How do we turn participation in these one-off events into sustainable systems for healthy, safe communities?”
More than 2,100 events nationwide happened in conjunction with the first protest last June. More than 2,700 events were held for the second in October. The number of planned events for the third protest is expected to surpass the previous two, according to a news release.
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As of Monday, there are 16 planned events in Idaho, with others taking place just across state lines from some Gem State municipalities. The five in eastern Idaho are scheduled to take place in Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Rexburg, Driggs and Arco.
The events are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. in Pocatello, Idaho Falls and Arco. In Pocatello, it will be held at Caldwell Park. The Greenbelt Bandshell on Memorial Drive will host the Idaho Falls protest and the Arco event is happening on Skill Hill and Main Street.
The Rexburg protest will happen at 4 p.m. A protest in Driggs is scheduled for 10 a.m. These event will happen at Porter Park and the intersection of East Grand Avenue & North Front Street, respectively.
Organizers in Pocatello and Idaho Falls spoke with EastIdahoNews.com about new strategies they’re using to continue increasing participation in these protests.
This time around, Eckert says SICD will have a variety of local organizations at Caldwell Park, including the League of Women Voters, the Idaho State University Political Science Club and Bridges Idaho, an organization that supports refugees and immigrants in southern Idaho.
While SICD is an activist organization, Eckert says it focuses more broadly on advancing democracy by “putting country over (political) party.” But he pointed out that there are many opportunities for people to get involved with other organizations focused on specific causes.
“There’s going to be a lot of opportunities for people to find different things that they’re interested in helping with,” Eckert said.
Miranda Armenta, a protest organizer in Idaho Falls, says people who attend the protest can find opportunities to get involved with more activism.
“It’s going to be a community building event where we get people put into channels where they want to help, and also have fun and spend time with their neighbors as well,” Armenta said.
Organizers in Idaho Falls have decided to incorporate music performances. The protest will begin with performances from No No Square and Outlaw Stiffs, two local punk bands.
“We’re trying to get more youth involved, and what better way to do that than a free … concert?” Armenta said.
When the performances have concluded, protestors in Idaho Falls will hear some speeches, and then march to the Broadway Bridge. Armenta expects the march to begin around 12:30 p.m.
In Pocatello, Eckert said that protestors will also hear from some speakers, and then march from the park to the intersection of North 5th Avenue and Center Street, adjacent to the Bannock County Courthouse, sometime around noon.
Organizers are making an effort to bring more crowd participation to this protest, with more participants leading chants, some with bongo drums, to, “help (bring) the beat up a little bit.”
Both Eckert and Armenta says this national day of action is shaping up to be the largest of the three in eastern Idaho.
“(The protests) keep on growing over and over again. Each No Kings that we’ve had … has only grown larger,” Armenta said. “That’s the main point — to grow larger and put people into avenues where they can work for their community and serve their community.”
For some, attending these protests is a reminder that they “are part of something bigger and more resilient” Eckert says it shows “marginalized or at-risk communities that they have allies.”
“It’s our time to make the sacrifices to defend these causes and these rights, and one of the ways we do that is by peaceful protests and organization and showing that we stand united against those who would attack the rights of humans and Americans,” Eckert said.