'I want better for my country.' Protesters are buoyed by common concerns at No Kings rally

• Thousands of people attended a No Kings rally held in Cuyahoga Falls Saturday.
• This was among events held across the country to protest Donald Trump and his administration.

Among the hundreds of signs being waved by protesters at the No Kings rally in Cuyahoga Falls on Oct. 18, one stood out. 

“Trump: The Silent Coup,” read the sign that was painted on a canvas rather than poster board and had a red “V” over the message. 

Cheryl Koesling of Richfield, who held the sign, said she asked her 20-year-old granddaughter to paint it as a way of teaching her about the current political climate. 

“We’re trying to get her to understand – and know that she has choices,” Koesling said of her granddaughter, a University of Akron student who wasn’t able to attend the rally because she was working. 

Koesling attended the event with her husband, Wayne, who said he was there because “we have a president who doesn’t understand what the Constitution is.” 

The Koeslings were among several thousand people who attended the No Kings Rally in Cuyahoga Falls, with the crowd lining Portage Trail and State Street several people deep.  

The Falls rally was one of the numerous No Kings events held Oct. 18 across the country. Other Northeast Ohio events were held in Akron, Alliance, Canton, Cleveland, Hudson, Kent, Medina and Strongsville. 

In Stark County's Jackson Township, a protester was injured after a pickup truck driver ran up over the grass and struck the woman, according to witnesses. The driver then fled. The woman's injuries did not appear to be life threatening, witnesses told the Canton Repository.

This was the second round of No Kings protests, with the first held June 14 in opposition to President Donald Trump’s birthday parade and what organizers called his “authoritarian power grabs.”

Organizers explain purpose of No Kings events

Organizers said the latest protests were in response to the Trump administration’s immigration raids and what they deem a continued abuse of power. 

“They’ve defied our courts, deported citizens, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, slashed essential services, and handed billions to their allies. Enough is enough,” Indivisible, a nonprofit coalition of political action groups that organized the rallies, said on its website. “This country doesn’t belong to a king.” 

Trump and his supporters have dismissed the rallies and called them anti-American. 

Indivisible Akron organizer Noelle Bowman said in a statement Oct. 18 that she was pleased with the high turnout at the Akron event that was held in front of the John F. Seiberling federal building along Main and Market streets. The group estimated the number who attended at more than 5,000.

“Our community showed up with strength and solidarity,” Bowman said. “We’re here to say loud and clear: We reject authoritarianism, and we stand for justice, accountability, and due process. No kings, no dictators – just democracy.” 

An organizer for the Falls event said the crowd swelled to 4,000 to 4,500 at its height. That was based on a count by expert bird watchers.

At the Falls rally, the protesters appeared united in general dissatisfaction with the current administration, though they supported many causes and messages. The signs they carried included, “Free Speech, Due Process for Everyone,” “The Only Minority Destroying America are the Billionaires,” “Ballots Not Bullets,” and “Hands Off Our National Parks!” 

The protesters often garnered honks of support from passing motorists, which prompted them to cheer. At one point, a pickup truck drove by with a “Trump 2024” flag, drawing loud “boos” from the crowd. 

Protesters sport inflatable costumes 

Among the protesters were several people dressed in inflatable costumes, including a baby Trump, a polar bear, a dinosaur and several frogs, a costume that’s often been worn by people in Portland protesting against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

Britt Ferrell, who lives in Portage County but is a health care worker in Akron, wore the frog costume in solidarity with the Portland protesters. She attended the protest with a group of her co-workers who are concerned about cuts to Medicaid. 

“We need better health care,” Ferrell said. “What the administration is doing is making it worse. We are standing up for our patients.” 

Ferrell said her husband is Republican and asked her, “Why are you going?” when she left for the protest. She said this is the latest of several rallies she’s attended. This was the first one, though, that she’d gone to dressed as a frog. 

“I’m making myself feel foolish for a good cause today,” she said. 

Protesters dress like Trump and RBG 

The crowd also included a man dressed as Trump with his face painted orange who carried a fake microphone and told people he passed, “You’re going to jail!” 

There was also a woman dressed as late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who sported a black wig and black robe and carried a mallet. She also had a sign that said, “Shame on you, Donald!” 

“He should be ashamed,” said Juana Donatelli, who lived close enough to the protest that she could have walked if she hadn’t been in costume. “As would any human being doing what he’s doing.” 

Several people stopped to take pictures of Donatelli or with her. 

Gus the dog has a political message 

The protesters included families with children in wagons and dogs on leashes, some with signs of their own. 

“Dump on Trump,” read a sign worn by a canine activist named Gus. 

“He had to get involved when the time came,” joked Elizabeth Szabat of Akron, Gus’ owner. 

Szabat attended the protests with her parents, whom she described as baby boomers who grew up during the Vietnam War but are only now protesting. They also planned to attend the No Kings rallies in Akron and Kent. 

“I’m praying for our country,” said Szabat, who held a sign that said “Trump is Coup Coup for Facism.” “I’m afraid we’re descending into fascism.” 

“I want better for our country – and so does he,” she said, pointing to Gus. 

Szabat, who also attended rallies in June, said it buoys her spirit to be around so many others who share her concerns and fears. 

“It helps to know so many others feel the same way,” she said. “It makes it feel like we may have a little bit of a fighting chance.” 

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at[email protected] or 330-996-3705.