Chants and instruments filled The Square as around 750 demonstrators gathered and protested at the anti-Trump “No Kings” protest today. 

The protest occurred from 5-7 p.m., June 14 at the Hays County Courthouse. While
“No Kings” is a national movement, to reject “authoritarianism” from U.S. President Donald Trump and the U.S. government, it was organized locally by Step Up San Marcos, a mobilization group uniting against the “increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump Administration.”

Before the protest officially started, volunteers told demonstrators to sign a commitment to keep the demonstration nonviolent. 

“Step Up San Marcos believes non-violent demonstrations are a way for citizens to ‘love our enemies’ without liking them, exercising our democratic rights to express dissatisfaction with oppressive systems, discriminatory practices and unjust laws or policies,” the petition stated. 

Step Up San Marcos member Joseph Sokal started the protest off by giving a speech to everyone about why this protest was important to him. Sokal is Jewish and his father escaped Austria at a young age due to the rise of Nazi powers in the country. 

“You don’t stand over others just to stand,” Sokal said. “You don’t step on people to make yourself feel big. Everyone has a place.”

After the speech, demonstrators marched around the courthouse in a clockwise manner. There was minimal police presence and counter protestors at the demonstration and it was peaceful. 

Linda Paul, a member of the Wimberley Democrats, said she remembers when Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973 as she protested for it. 

“If we don’t stand up and make our voices heard, [nothing] can change,” Paul said. 

Nicolle Reid, communications chairperson for the Wimberley Democrats, and Paul said it is important for the local community to band together as change starts from the ground up. 

Some of the themes on the signs protestors carried around included anti-ICE, anti-Trump, pro-LGBTQ+ and pro-immigration messages that cars driving by were reacting to. Sarah Fish, a protestor at “No Kings” said these issues affect everyone and it is important to show support. 

“If one person’s rights are violated, all of our rights are violated and it’s a slippery slope to lose all of them,” Fish said. “It is important to stand up for other people’s rights as well as our own because they are our rights. It’s the rights of the American people and that’s something we share collectively.”

Among signs were hundreds of American flags in the air, on people’s clothing and on signs. Steven Hernandez, a San Marcos native and protestor, said it is a message of freedom. 

“The flag is a symbol, it’s not our country, it symbolizes what our Constitution was founded on which is freedom,” Hernandez said. “I carry it because it is easier for people to identify with a flag than to read the tiny print in the Constitution because this is a symbol of how our freedom is guaranteed in the Constitution and this is an easy way to show people.”

Sue Cohen, a protestor, compared the protests to the protests during the Vietnam War in the 1950s-70s. Cohen is a Texas State alumna and San Marcos local but said that this is the largest demonstration she has seen in the city. 

“We feel like we did this 50 years ago and can’t believe we’re doing it again,” Cohen said. 

Marta Dusek, a protestor, said it is important for people to exercise their First Amendment rights and stand up for what they believe is right. 

“It’s a show of unity against the hypocrisy and craziness going on right now,” Dusek said. “If we just allow [Trump] to do all of these things and not stand up and at least say what we think and exercise their right… then he’s going to keep doing it.”

The protest ended with no violent incidents, which was a goal for Step Up For San Marcos. The “No Kings” movement did attract some violence nationwide however, as protestors in Virginia and San Francisco were struck by motorists and the Texas Capitol in Austin was closed before the protest as there was a “credible threat” made toward lawmakers attending the event.