No Kings #3: Pictures & Reflections

No Kings #3 on March 29 turned out record numbers for the largest one-day political demonstration in US history. Our readers have submitted their own wonderful pictures of the day's events from around the country and around the world. Feel free to just skip down to those pictures (from Santa Fe NM, other states both red and blue, and even Europe). But if you want some quick thoughts on the day from members of our Friends Here & Now community, read on.

No Kings #3: Reflections and questions

One subscriber admitted that he did not participate in No Kings #3: “Truth be told, I sat this one out.” He wrote of “losing [his] sense of hope” back after the Women’s March in 2017: “No matter how momentarily heartening the noise and crowd might have been, I always came away feeling that they signified nothing (or very, very little), because those who should and need to pay attention [in the White House] really couldn’t care less.”

We understand his dismay and respect his decision not to participate. But we have to respectfully disagree with his reasoning:

1. The audience, the target, is not the Regime itself, let alone its leaders. As we’ve written before, there are a lot of different audiences and objectives – none of them "to change the minds of those who are driving the attacks on democracy." The real audiences and objectives for action include bringing hope and resolve to you and those who demonstrate with you; showing support for those elected officials, judges and others who are fighting for democracy; and sending an important message to those who are beginning to break away from the autocracy, whether from conviction or fear of the consequences for their own careers.
2. Don’t be surprised or disheartened by the let-down after an event. Events take a lot of energy, and there’s usually an adrenaline crash afterward. And no, any one event seldom brings change. Processes and sustained movements do bring change. But events can launch, catalyze, and reinforce those processes and movements, sometimes in surprising ways.

To see more of how this can all work, you can look at the Why taking action matters page in our Insights section. Or you can listen to another member of our little Friends Here & Now community, living in a red state, who posted on Facebook this week after her first No Kings protest (which was her first demonstration of any kind since 2007 and her first truly political demonstration ever):

I’ve kept my views on this administration’s threats to human rights largely to myself, instead opting to watch, learn and avoid offending people. But there are moments when silence feels like complicity, so I lent my voice and presence for a day to this worldwide grassroots movement of 9 million people, which grows bigger with each event. ...

Back home by my cozy fireplace[afterwards], I’m reflecting on the privilege that makes me feel safe living in this country I love, despite its challenges. But a nagging feeling tells me that no American is immune to the destabilizing forces threatening our economy, democracy and environment. We’re going to need to strengthen our community bonds and spirit more than ever in the years ahead. Thankfully, seeing so many Texans who care gives me confidence that our great state will weather the storms. 

I’m grateful to the brave souls in my network who continue to model courage through writing and action. It may not seem like it, but I and others are paying attention. Keep lighting those candles of hope and showing us the way.

No Kings #3: Pictures from the streets

These pictures were all taken by Friends Here & Now subscribers or by their friends, starting right here in Santa Fe NM:

From our friends in other states both blue and red:

And even farther away, from our Friends at Activism from Abroad:

And as always: