‘No Kings’ protests across Texoma pose questions and create community

Various cities across the U.S. were unified on Saturday through ‘No Kings’ protests. During them, members of these communities rallied together with signs, costumes, and like-minds to express concerns over the methods which President Trump is using to run the country. Wichita Falls and Lawton were among the cities that held the protests.

The goal of the protests was of course to draw attention to the reason they were being held, but beyond that, organizers hoped they’d create a sense of community. For many feeling discouraged by the current state of things, being surrounded by other individuals that are equally upset provides a sense of togetherness and support.

Beth Schuman, one of the main organizers of the protest, put an emphasis on the blatant lack of violence others have insinuated would be present.

“We are committed to being peaceful people,” Schuman expressed. “We are so pro-America, we’re out here doing this.”

For Eleanor Folsom, a 16 year old that attended the Wichita Falls protest in a Statue of Liberty costume, the gathering was about standing up for what one believes in. She said she attended the last protest and was encouraged by the fact that Saturday’s protest was even larger in size. 

Folsom expressed that while the Wichita Falls protest may not have had numbers that even remotely compared to the ‘No Kings’ protests in large cities like NYC, it held its own significance to the community. She explained that such protests stand out more in smaller communities where they’re less common, which in turn inspires more members of the community that may agree with the purpose of the gathering to show up to the next event.

“I just can’t express how awesome it is that in almost rural Texas there’s so many people here using their voices to stand for what they believe,” Folsom said. “It just shows that, no matter where you go, there’s people standing up for what they believe in.”

Another Wichita Falls participant, Steven Touchstone, shared the same mentality. Touchstone is originally from Lawton, but made the decision to attend the protest happening on the southern side of the Texoma border, after the events of the first ‘No Kings’ in Lawton. Touchstone went on to explain, his local councilman, George Gill, has reportedly been shouting at the protestors in MAGA attire. Touchstone said he himself was a life-long Reagan-Republican until Trump was voted into office back in 2016. He stated he wasn’t appreciative of the things Trump had to say about John McCaine as Touchstone was a 20-year retired Veteran.

Even the speakers at the event spoke about the value of making your voice heard in a small community. While many speakers spoke about the value of finding events and places where like-minded people could join forces for support, others focused on how to make a direct impact on the local community to demonstrate voice.

Cathy Dodson spoke at the protest about the value of voting in any community, but especially in small communities where every vote has the potential to make a real difference. She said she ran for city council in the 2023 election and 89% of her district didn’t vote. She encourages everyone to use their voice to vote, especially young people as it’s taking a stand on a future that most impacts them.

She expanded on the importance of elections to better understand the candidates that could end up representing the community. She encourages voters to ask candidates questions that illuminate their values for leadership. She also encourages voters to read about candidates’ backgrounds and affiliations within the community, as this can greatly impact how they run and how they follow through in office if elected.

“People just don’t know how important it is to vote,” Dodson said. “Get registered and make sure your voice is heard, because there’s nothing more powerful than a vote.”

When you look at the North side of the Texoma border, Cindy McIntyre was a participant in the Lawton ‘No Kings’ protest, who said they felt they had to make active efforts to keep the city from retaliating. According to McIntyre, she received a citation for being an organizer of the first gathering. Lawton requires a permit if more than 25 individuals plan to assemble on city-owned property, which McIntyre calls a violation of its own. 

Due to this requirement and the response of city officials, the Lawton protest was spread throughout the city. In total, reports stated around 90 showed up, but McIntyre said overall she was proud of the turnout.

“This is the way we have to show our great disapproval of the dismantling of democracy,” McIntrye said.

In comparison, Schuman stated they haven’t had much issues if at all with the local government. However, multiple people the Dark Roast spoke with said it felt like a war was taking place over the first amendment.

One statistic that was being spread following the protests across the nation was a 3.5% rule. Simply put, the political science theory states that change had been historically made when 3.5% of the population got involved in protests, specifically if the protest was non-violent. Additionally, non-violent movements are twice as likely to succeed compared to the opposite. Since Oct. 18, political leaders, organizations, and Schuman have been sharing how close the ‘No Kings’ movement has gotten to reaching that mark, and how much it grows every rally. 

Many recognized that while these protests gathered fewer numbers in smaller communities compared to Portland or New York, it doesn’t take away the local impact. Despite not yet reaching that 3.5% turnout, for people like Dodson and Schuman, the key is to start with a grassroots approach. 

“Once we begin to understand what we can do for each other in the community, then we can get our voices together to start to speak to our local government,” Schuman said.