HARDWICK – A protest in Hardwick, a carpool caravan to Montpelier and a bus organized by a Greensboro church will join over 2,400 scheduled events nationwide, for No Kings Day II, which has the potential to be the largest organized nonviolent protest in U.S. history this Saturday.
No Kings Day events on June 15 saw an estimated turnout of five-million people nationwide, with around 260 in Hardwick. So far, over 30 events are planned in Vermont, October 18, supported by local Indivisible chapters, 50501 Vermont, VPIRG, the ACLU and others.
In Hardwick, a rally and send-off will begin at 10 a.m. for the local contingent traveling to the No Kings II rally in Montpelier, and others staying to protest in town, rain or shine. After waving off a carpool caravan organized by Hardwick Indivisible at 10:30 a.m., and a bus from the Greensboro United Church of Christ, the rally in Hardwick will continue with a walk to the South Main Street Peace Park. The Hardwick rally will continue until noon.
The rally will be followed by a honk-and-wave event, Tuesday, Oct. 21, beginning at 10 a.m., at the Peace Park.
According to 50501 Vermont, the goal is to reach the 3.5% threshold, a political science concept formulated by Erica Chenoweth in 2013. According to Chenoweth, when 3.5% of a nation’s population protests nonviolently against a government, that government is more likely to fall from power.
“We understand the risk, but we are not backing down,” said Ezra Levin, co-founder of the progressive non-profit organization Indivisible.
“We exercise our First Amendment rights by exercising them.”
According to NoKings.org, all No Kings events adhere to a shared commitment to nonviolent protest and community safety. Organizers are trained in de-escalation and are working closely with local partners to ensure peaceful and powerful actions nationwide.
On October 10, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson blamed the upcoming event for the ongoing government shutdown, claiming Democratic leaders feared their “rabid base” and preferred to wait until the event had passed to reopen the government.
The NoKings Coalition issued the following statement in response, “Speaker Johnson is running out of excuses for keeping the government shut down. Instead of reopening the government, preserving affordable healthcare or lowering costs for working families, he’s attacking millions of Americans who are peacefully coming together to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings.”
Montpelier’s No Kings Day II rally will begin at noon on the state house lawn with a procession of Signs of Fascism, followed immediately by a procession of Signs of a Healthy Democracy. Speakers will follow a similar trajectory, with a special emphasis on the threats to the transgender community, before transitioning to themes of determination in building a better tomorrow for youth and for the state of Vermont.
Raymonda Parchment is a Hardwick Gazette reporter. She recently graduated from Vermont State University - Castleton with a Bachelor’s Degree in English. She is a strong supporter of freedom of speech, and the right to publish information, opinions, and ideas without censorship or restraint. She is a lifelong lover of the written word, and is excited to join the team as a staff member.
