‘Enough of the tyranny’: No Kings protesters take to the streets in South Dakota

PIERRE — Nearly 200 demonstrators showed up Saturday outside the post office in South Dakota’s capital city to protest the Trump administration as part of the No Kings movement.

The Pierre protest was one of a dozen in South Dakota, and one of thousands across the country. The state’s largest cities — Sioux Falls and Rapid City — each had demonstrations, according to the No Kings website, as well as places such as Aberdeen, Vermillion and even White River, a town of just over 500 people.

Listen to an audio version of this story by reporter Meghan O’Brien. For broadcasters: See below for a downloadable version with a script.

“Democracy has cost this country too much” to relinquish now, said Brian Doherty, a U.S. Army veteran from Fort Pierre who attended the Pierre demonstration. “I pray the people of this country go out and vote.”

Throughout the protest, he reminded people to check if they were registered to vote.

This was the third round of No Kings protests across the country. Previous protests in June and October drew crowds of thousands.

This was the largest crowd for a No Kings demonstration in Pierre, according to Dawson Lewis, Hughes County Democrats chairperson and organizer. About 20 people RSVP’d for the demonstration, he said, but nearly 200 showed up at its peak.

“Policies are at the whim of one man,” Lewis said. “Gas prices going up, food prices going up, fertilizer prices going up for the farmers. I think people are just getting tired of the chaos.”

The Rev. Mercy Hobbs, of Trinity Episcopal Church in Pierre, donned an inflatable frog costume and carried a sign that read “Riberty Resist.” She was inspired by previous demonstrators in Portland, Oregon, who wore inflatable suits.

“There wasn’t any interaction besides just standing there and being present,” she said. “Enough of the tyranny and the injustice.”