I just came back from the No Kings protest.  Last time, we went to the San Francisco protest, which was the largest crowd I’ve ever seen.  This time, we went to a more local protest.  Every one of the suburbs seems to have its own separate one.  Our resistance is fractal.

Where the San Francisco protest blocked off a whole street for a mile and a half, the Fremont protest occupied the sidewalks for about 5 blocks.  I’d estimate there were several hundred people.  You could stand at a corner and basically stay stationary the whole time, but we walked back and forth several times.  Because we weren’t blocking the road, cars were driving past us, and constantly honking in support.

Like before, we brought our big US flag.  My husband wore a shirt with a rainbow US flag, and I borrowed one of his shirts that said “Make Treason Wrong Again”.  We met up with another friend and took the opportunity to socialize–not just talking about politics, but also the usual.

All sorts of signs, ranging from the simple “NO 👑”, down to more specific fuck-yous to ICE or RFK Jr.  There was not one but two bands–one small brass band, and one saxaphone quartet.

If you google “how to prepare for a protest”, I think the advice is overly cautious, preparing for the worst.  But the median protest is entirely safe.  I recommend bringing a bottle of water, sun tan lotion, and a friend.  These protests are an environment of joyful resistance.  People are angry, but there’s an inherent optimism in the activity, seeing all the popular opposition.  I fully recommend participating.