An estimated 10,000 people attended the No Kings protest in Dallas last October, and another 6,500 attended the event in Fort Worth, pictured. Organizers say they hope to draw at least 11.1 million people to events scheduled around the country on March 28.
(Photo by Tammye Nash/Dallas Voice)

DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
Taffet@DallasVoice.com

More than 25 No Kings rallies in North Texas are planned for Saturday, March 28, with the two largest events planned for Dallas City Hall Plaza and at General Worth Square in downtown Fort Worth.

But the No Kings movement isn’t about liberals in big cities protesting imperial policies of the Trump administration. No Kings rallies will be held in Republican strongholds like Plano, Southlake and Flower Mound and in outlying, rural cities like Athens, Gainesville and Burleson.

Denton will be participating with two rallies but so will its smaller neighbor just to the north, Sanger, with one.

In all, almost 3,000 No Kings events are planned across the United States, with more than 100 of those in Texas. What organizers are calling the “flagship gathering” will take place in Minneapolis.

This is the third No Kings protest since Trump’s inauguration last year and the first of this year.

The first No Kings was held last June. Five million people turned out to protest a military parade that took place on President Donald Trump’s birthday and the perceived monarchical policies of the Trump administration.

In October, the second No Kings rallies drew seven million people to 2,700 events across the country. Although the murders of citizens protesting ICE hadn’t yet occurred, the immigration crackdown was the major issue of the event last fall. Executive overreach by ignoring Congress and the courts was also an issue.

The upcoming No Kings event will protest the violence in Minneapolis and affirm that power belongs to the people, not to a dictator or a monarch. But protesters will be participating for a variety of reasons. For example, the unauthorized war against Iran wasn’t even on the radar of organizers when the March 28 event was first scheduled, but it is certainly a motivating factor for some participants.
This week, Human Rights Campaign joined in organizing what they say may be the largest protest in U.S. history, “as the federal government escalates unlawful attacks on civilians,” according to a press release.

“Across the country, communities are being terrorized by masked agents and forced to choose between daily life and their families’ safety,” an HRC spokesman wrote. “We’re standing up together to say no kings in America.”

“This March, we have one clear goal: Exceed 11.1 million people,” said local organizer Rob Emery. That’s the goal, he explained, because 11.1 million is 3.5 percent of the U.S. population.

“It’s been proven in history that when protests exceed 3.5 percent, authoritarian dictatorships fall,” he said, adding that that statistic held as communist governments fell across Europe in the early 1990s.

“The beauty of No Kings is that it’s non-violent,” Emery said. “Children and the elderly and the disabled and the risk-averse can participate. It’s a love-fest with dogs and smiles and hugs.”

While he expects this No Kings to be non-violent like last year’s protests, the No Kings website prepares participants for the worst.

“Prepare ahead of time” is the first section of advice, offering suggestions to first-time protestors to dress for the weather, wear comfortable walking shoes and bring snacks and drinks.

Then it gets more serious: Protect yourself digitally.

Encrypt your mobile device and remove any biometric locking features. Sign out of social media and use a secure messaging app like Signal. Avoid taking pictures of protestors faces and scrub metadata from photos before posting online.

The final piece of advice is to know how to de-escalate.

But last year’s protests — all 2,700 of them across the country — were peaceful. While no arrests were reported in most major cities across the country, 14 people were arrested in Los Angeles and one in Las Vegas in October.

Online training calls are scheduled over the next two weeks for event organizers. Topics include media training, making a safety plan and knowing your rights.

For those planning to attend the downtown Dallas rally, parking is going to be a problem. Emery said the best way to get downtown will be to take DART.

Unfortunately, the closest station to Dallas City Hall — the Convention Center Station — is closed due to construction at the convention center. The closest stops that add only a couple of blocks of walking are EBJ Union Station and Akard Station. Each one is about six blocks from City Hall Plaza.

For more information, more resources and to find a No Kings event near you, visit NoKings.org.

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