Maryland ‘No Kings’ rallies draw thousands to protest Trump administration

Gary Waugh clutched the 13-folded flag in its frame as he stood among more than 1,000 people gathered on a hot, smoggy Saturday afternoon at Patterson Park in Baltimore for a political rally.

Waugh, 71, said the flag represented his father, William, a World War II vet who he said would have been “disgusted” by the Trump administration. Waugh brought the folded flag so his father could be a part of the more than 2,000 “No Kings” rallies nationwide to protest the Trump administration.

“I figured he would have wanted to come down and see what we were doing today,” Waugh said.

The sizable crowd in Patterson Park was taking part in just one of more than 40 events in Maryland Saturday that were held in city halls, park and highway overpasses, among the thousands of anti-Trump demonstrations across the United States opposing the president and his policies.

The peaceful protests were deliberately scheduled to counter President Donald Trump’s (R) military parade in Washington, D.C. to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army’s founding. Saturday also happened to be Trump’s 79th birthday.

The conflicting events led to signs, chants and speakers at the No Kings rallies that challenged who the “real” patriots were, arguing that it was those who were participating in peaceful protests Saturday against the administration.

Several protesters, including Waugh, saw the military parade not as an honor to American troops or a recognition of Flag Day, but as an ego-boost for the president.

“It’s an abomination,” Waugh said of the military parade. “It’s horrible, it’s not what our country is about. It’s all about him. It’s fueling his ego at my expense, and it’s just obscene as far as I’m concerned.”

Indivisible, a national organization dedicated to opposing Trump and his policies, said that the protests are in response to Trump’s “authoritarian overreach,” which includes rising numbers of warrantless immigration raids, cuts to federal funding and jobs, reductions to health care spending and more.

Veronica Koch, 28, attended the Baltimore rally dressed in a costume loosely inspired by John Adams — an outfit she had previously prepared back in October for a Founding Fathers-themed party.

Her costume may have been light-hearted, but her message, that she “absolutely loved America,” was serious.

“I love our people, and I want America to be a place that is welcoming, which is something that we literally wrote our Declaration [of Independence] about,” she said.

“I support our military. I do not support the hatred that we have become,” she said. “I don’t love what our flag has come to represent … I feel like we’re kind of trying to reclaim it.”

Largely peaceful No Kings protests across the nation counter military parade

Signs, chants and speeches given in Baltimore targeted several Trump administrations policies. Top of mind for several protesters was the increasing activity of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Maryland and elsewhere.

Jontadria Davison, 27, said that some of her Latin and Hispanic coworkers at the restaurant where she works have become more fearful under the Trump administration.

“They’re all scared. My coworker was scared to take her daughter to school the other day, because she’s worried that ICE is going to come get her,” she said. “It’s a dark time for everybody, so they’re not playing.”

People attending a rally in Rockville earlier that day shared similar concerns.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who spoke at both the Baltimore and Rockville protests, referenced the erroneous deportation of Kilmar Abrigo Garcia to El Salvador as an example of Trump’s “lawless” approach to governing.

“If Donald Trump can trample all over his [Abrego Garcia’s] constitutional rights, he can trample over all of your constitutional rights,” Van Hollen said.

“The people are being tested by a man who is an autocrat. A man who does not believe in democracy. A man who does not believe in the Constitution,” Van Hollen said. “So, it’s great to see the people – ‘We the People’ – are gathered to make sure we protect our country and our Constitution.”

Linda Graziani, a Montgomery County public school teacher, felt that the millions in taxpayer dollars necessary to put on the military parade would be better spent elsewhere, including in education and health care. She was one of thousands who lined the sidewalk of Rockville Pike Saturday morning.

“He’s … taking money away from Medicaid, taking away money from the people who need it and giving it to the people who don’t need it with tax cuts,” Graziani said of Trump. Reports say that the parade is estimated to cost about $45 million.

Sylvia Greenberg, 56, drove from Gaithersburg to attend the Rockville rally with her daughter, Evlin. She said the Trump administration’s “centralization of power, ignoring our checks and balances,” is “just not American.”

“Which one is more American? People standing up for what they feel is right or a show of tanks and guns with somebody who’s centralizing power for himself?” she asked. “I think we’re the more patriotic.”

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