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Along with thousands of other sites nationwide, the Bridge Street Bridge in Oswego was filled with protestors on Saturday for No Kings Day.
The two-hour rally was attended by 852 people according to Indivisible Oswego County, who organized the local site of the national event. iHeart Oswego counted roughly 350 attendees in the first 45 minutes of the event, which was marked by snow, wind, and chilly temperatures that likely encouraged attendees to come and go.
Despite the cold, the mood was positive. At the tunnel next to East Park, Organize Oswego was set up with a small band, petitions on various causes, and free health items like masks. Chants through the crowds and honking horns from supportive driversby punctuated the air. American flags waved—some of which were hung upside, an international signal of distress.
Nationally, the No Kings Day movement is spearheaded by Indivisible. National organizers say the movement is designed to protest growing authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.
“We need a constitution, not a monarchy,” one of the protestors on Bridge Street told iHeart Oswego. Though acknowledging that Trump is not a king in name, many protestors fear he is approaching that status in practice. Creative protest signs throughout the four-block rally focused on this theme, with slogans such as “They’re eating the checks, they’re eating the balances” and suggestions that Trump has “dictator [sic] energy”.
“I never thought I’d have to do this again,” one protestor named Carol told iHeart Oswego. “I haven’t been here since 1970 [when we were protesting Vietnam].”
While the overarching theme focused on federal overreach, other signs focused on specific issues like the war in Iran, inflation, and ICE abuses.
Protestors have met weekly for 53 weeks to protest federal actions that organizers and attendees have variously described as overreach, treason, and illegal. Those interested in learning more about the weekly rallies on the Bridge Street Bridge can reach out to Indivisible Oswego County on Facebook or their website, https://www.indivisibleoc.com/.
