Residents protest ‘No Kings Day’

An enthusiastic group of Steele County residents turned out on Bridge Street Saturday to demonstrate against President Donald Trump and his administration, as part of the nationwide “No Kings” protest movement.

The local protest also drew some participants from other areas, including people who had been making the rounds of area protests. Bethany Greiner of Albert Lea said she had participated in a rally in Albert Lea at 10 a.m. Saturday, came to Owatonna for the noon rally and was heading to Rochester for one in the afternoon.

Another of the rally attendees, Zella Vandervort, said she thought it was important be at the event to express an opinion.

Nearly all of those attending were carrying homemade signs, with themes ranging from tariffs to food prices, ICE to immigration, healthcare to voting rights. There were also some attendees in costumes and a lone bagpiper.

Paula Person, Senate District 19 chair for the Democratic-Farmer Labor Party (DFL), said she was pleased with the attendance at the event. She estimated the turnout at close to 500 people. Many of those driving by, she said, were also blowing car horns in response to signs with slogans such as “Honk for Freedom” that encouraged drivers to join in the protest.

She also said that District 19 Democrats are currently working on a plan to have a town hall in Owatonna to listen to the concerns of Hispanic and Latino residents. She said a date has not been set.

An earlier town hall in Owatonna, she said, drew more than 300 people, as did a similar one in Faribault.

Person said organizers of the national No Kings Day encouraged everyone to attend a local rally, she said. The protests drew large crowds across Minnesota, with an estimated 8 million people participating across the country.

Members of the DFL and Steele County Indivisible also protest on Bridge Street every Saturday and every other Monday.