DAYTONA BEACH — Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Daytona Beach City Hall on March 28, lining up along South Ridgewood Avenue, just one protest out of thousands of No Kings demonstrations taking place across the country.
Bearing signs, waving flags and sporting T-shirts with messages (and some costumes), protesters voiced sharp criticism of President Donald Trump and his administration. Their main concerns included the war against Iran, the administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policies, and the high cost of living.
The event in Daytona Beach was one of several taking place across Volusia and Flagler counties, with thousands more happening throughout the U.S.
Kelly Czajkowski, the founder and president of Just Us Volusia — a nonprofit organization with the mission of “building community and fighting for our constitutional freedom and democracy,” helped organize the weekend’s protest in Daytona Beach.
Seeing the hundreds that turned out for the event “warms my heart,” she said.
“It’s encouraging, it’s uplifting, and it brings hope,” Czajkowski said. “People are upset. (Trump) is making more people upset. This administration is doing more things, and hurting more people, and more people are being impacted by the decisions made by this administration and leadership.”
According to NoKings.org, there were more than 3,300 events planned across the country for March 28.
Daytona No Kings protesters weigh in on Iran war, ICE
Bearing a “No Kings” sign amid the crowd gathered on the front steps of City Hall, was Harry Miller, a Melbourne resident who has been to three previous No Kings protests in Daytona Beach.
“It’s important we see people share their enthusiasm,” Miller said.
He argued that Trump is “the most incompetent president I think we have ever had,” adding that he hopes Congress “realizes that we’re not OK with what is going on.”
“(The U.S. war against Iran) speaks to his incompetence,” Miller argued. “He did not understand the consequences of what would happen if we attacked Iran in this way. He thought it would just be over in a few days.”
The U.S. launched a joint attack with Israel against Iran on Feb. 28. According to a USA Today report on March 28, an attack by Iranian forces on a U.S. base in Saudi Arabia left 12 troops injured, with two U.S. service members seriously hurt.
Another issue on many protesters’ minds was immigration enforcement.
Ormond Beach resident Betty Carbone said she doesn’t “understand how such a large amount of Americans support” the Trump administration’s deportation policies.
“I mean, all of our grandparents or great-grandparents were immigrants,” Carbone said.
Maria Gonzalez, who came to the United States from Mexico 20 years ago and lives in Daytona Beach, argued the current immigration policies are “terrible.”
“The fact that even Hispanic people themselves voted for Trump to fight immigration — I can’t believe that,” Gonzalez said. “And now they are suffering the consequences of that bad decision.”
She echoed Carbone’s comment about the U.S. being a country of immigrants.
“America is a melting pot. Why should we discriminate? I know the people who come here, and the majority of them are good and very hard-working people,” she said. “They come with their strengths and are willing to work, make some money to send back to their families. They don’t want to do any harm anywhere.”
In Palm Coast, No Kings protesters want to ‘reinforce the strength of our democracy’
Ed and Didi Pakel of Palm Coast were among at least 600 No Kings protesters who gathered at Palm Coast Parkway and Old Kings Road in Palm Coast.
Kathy Reichard-Ellavsky of Palm Coast was dressed as the statue of liberty with a sign that read “Due Process For All.”
“There is so much positive energy here to help reinforce the strength of our democracy,” she said. “Hate does not make us great. We need to defend the Constitution. Due process for all.”
She was standing next to Mary Susan Hultay, who was blowing a whistle, and held a sign that read “No Kings.” She said they had been getting a lot of good responses, supportive beeps and waves.
Many motorists were beeping their horns as they drove by. But a few revved their engines loudly, among them a pickup that left a modest trail of smoke from its exhaust.
Didi Pakel held a Smokey the Bear sign with the words “Only You Can Resist Dictatorship!” Ed Pakel held a sign that read “Make Orwell Fiction Again!”
“It’s just a disgrace what’s happening in this country, declaring a war that nobody wants and that we can’t seem to stop,” Didi Pakel said. “And the (cabinet) meetings that he has are ludicrous because he can’t speak. He’s falling asleep.”
Pro-Trump counter protesters outnumbered by No Kings crowd in Palm Coast
The No Kings protesters vastly outnumbered the less than 20 pro-Trump counter protesters across the street. Signs among the counter protesters read “Mass Deportation Now!” and “Pray for Trump.”
A counter protester who said her name was Victoria but declined to give a last name held a large Trump cut-out poster. She wore a red cap that read “Trump 2028.”
She said she knew that Trump couldn’t run again but that she was trolling the No Kings protesters.
“He is the greatest president of all time,” she said.
But the counter protesters were a miniscule number compared to the No Kings group.
Janet Sullivan, the chair of the Flagler County Democratic Party, said the turnout was great. She said more than 600 No Kings protesters showed up. She added that a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy who was there to keep everyone safe had also estimated more than 600. The deputy was in a patrol car parked across the street.
“We are absolutely thrilled with the turnout today,” Sullivan said. “This is two and half to three times more than we’ve ever had at any of these rallies, which tells us that more and more people are getting frustrated and are angry with various things. We don’t tell anybody what to put on their signs and I’m seeing various types of frustrations that people are expressing.”
The signs were varied. “Thin ICE” and “We the people serve no king!” “Impeach Convict Remove the Regime” and “Ignoring it is what the Germans Did.”
Jerry Smotherman of Palm Coast sat in a wheelchair and held a multi-colored sign that read “Everyone Belongs.”
“We need help, we need to change things,” Smotherman said. “Everybody belongs. We all belong here. Nobody is from this country. Most of us are from somewhere else.”
Daytona No Kings organizer says protest is about ‘people against the powerful’
Czajkowski said another important part of the demonstration was to remind people that “this isn’t about one part against another.
“It’s not about Democrats versus Republicans,” she said. “It’s about the people against the powerful ones. And there’s way more of us that are just everyday Joes that are trying to make ends meet, and it’s becoming increasingly harder to do so.”
She encouraged voters to keep in mind that the “messages,” not the party, is what actually matters when it comes to choosing those who will represent them in government.
“What their promises are and what they are actually going to do,” Czajkowski said. “Don’t just make promises. What are you actually going to do? Put your work into it and show up for the people.”
Czajkowski walked through the crowd encouraging protesters to keep themselves engaged in their community and keep spreading the message.
“We the people have the power, and we are out here to remind everybody that we do,” she said.
Evening protest draws smaller crowd on Seabreeze Boulevard following earlier No Kings events
Those who couldn’t make the No Kings protests in the morning, a smaller gathering later in the evening in Daytona Beach was the solution.
In what its organizer described as the “night sift” No Kings protest, protesters gathered on Seabreeze Boulevard, across the street from the Razzle’s Nightclub, to voice their criticisms of President Donald Trump and his administration.
The evening event wasn’t an official No Kings protest, however, because it was planned to end at 11 p.m. — past the sunset time limit for a No Kings protest, according to a No Kings organizer.
The evening event’s organizer, 18-year-old Fritz Ives, said he has heard from friends who, like him, missed previous No Kings events because of work.
“And the same thing happened during the last No Kings days,” Ives said. “So, if you (couldn’t) make it (to the earlier protests), here we are.
Ives, an Ormond Beach resident and a senior at Flagler Palm Coast High School, also spoke out against criticism he faced online for organizing his own protest, saying it was part of what motivated him “to do this.”
“If you can show up at 9 o’clock at night in front of a nightclub, not to party, and to fight for what you believe in, then I guarantee you are able to come in on election day and vote for a candidate that will better your future,” Ives said.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Thousands gather for No Kings rallies in Volusia, Flagler
Reporting by Brenno Carillo and Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
