No Kings protest held June 14 at the intersection of Lamar and Lee Street.

A small group of protestors holding signs gathered at the corner of Lee and Lamar Street on June 14 in spite of the overcast weather. A primary concern of the protestors was a fear that business oligarchs were gaining power over the government.

Professor Blue Argo attended, saying their purpose was not to be provocative but to peacefully protest. She held a sign that read “Standing with Immigrants is Patriotic.”

Argo expressed fears the current administration was moving in the direction of autocracy. She gave their treatment of immigrants as an example, saying they were “snatching people off the streets and deporting them before they had gone through due process.” Argo said that if due process is denied to immigrants, it could be denied to citizens as well.

Many on the right point to democrats’ unwillingness to enforce immigration laws as a justification for drastic measures. Argo believed issues with immigration are a problem both sides are responsible for, with the issue used as a “political football” since the Reagan administration.

Argo was also concerned that business “oligarchs” were gaining too much power, fearing that Elon Musk’s involvement in DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, had exposed private citizens’ personal information.

Supporters of DOGE say it is necessary to combat government waste. Argo was not convinced. “It seems to be more an effort to pilfer the treasury and pilfer information.” While Argo was for reform, she believed it required careful study instead of the gutting of federal agencies.

Landon Ferrill was fervent in his belief that the current administration has become a “full-blown fascist regime.” He was also concerned with the dismantling of government agencies, along with the addition of trillions to the U.S. national debt from the new spending bill. Ferrill suspected the Trump administration of destroying the economy on purpose, “pump and dumping the economy for his rich billionaire buddies.”

Nancy Spice was concerned about the loss of social safety nets. “More money for the rich, less for the people.” Spice also said that President Donald Trump was divorced from reality, arguing that the military parade with army tanks could not be supported by the streets of Washington D.C. “He doesn’t care it’s gonna cost millions of dollars in repairs.”

Spice’s grandfather was an immigrant, and she expressed her support for immigration. “We’re all children of immigrants.” When asked her views on illegal immigration, she blamed failed attempts at immigration reform on Congressional gridlock.

Spice also criticized the administration’s stance on immigration enforcement. “Right now, they are not being thoughtful. They are just grabbing people who maybe have been here 20 years, destroying their families. It’s horrible, what’s happening right now.”