Protestors were fired up and ready to go at Yountville’s No Kings 2
Some 80 “No Kings” demonstrators gathered in Yountville on Saturday, adding to the thousands of people, reported by the Napa County Times, who lined the Vine Trail from Napa to the north and filled overpasses on Highway 29.
In Yountville, the No Kings demonstration coordinated by Indivisible Napa took place at the north end of Yountville, where Highway 29 narrows to one lane.
An international movement against tyranny, the No Kings events of this past summer and this month were planned by a network of progressive organizations that, in the United States, specifically targets the administration and actions of President Donald Trump.
According to NPR, about 2,600 No Kings events planned across the U.S. drew an estimated 7 million participants.
Sharing messages with people traveling up and down the highway, Yountville protestors wore eye-catching costumes, rang bells, clapped, waved American flags and carried signs that included, “Hate does not make America great,” “No Kings,” “When They Come for One, They Come for All,” “Vietnam Vets Say No Kings” and “Not Going Backwards.”
“I am proud to live in the Napa Valley, and I am proud to live in California where I feel relatively safe,” said Dulce Farmer of Yountville, “but I am concerned about ICE showing up here, especially with all of our Hispanic workers whom we love and need. We’ve got to do something to stop the insanity.” Farmer clapped for every vehicle that sped by honking in support.
Hillery Trippe, a member of Yountville’s Town Council attended along with her equally vocal dog, Poppy. She said that she was speaking for herself, not the council, “I think it’s really wonderful people in Yountville are coming out to protest; we live in such a privileged environment here. It’s really good that people remember the rest of the country and the world, so I’m happy to support it. I’m a firm believer in democracy. No matter what you think, we have the right to say it and be protected by our Constitution.”
Yountville’s Vice Mayor Robin McKee Cant lifted the positive and peaceful spirit even higher, managing an amplified soundtrack of tunes including “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” “Sweet Home Alabama” and “My Sweet Lord,” encouraging attendees to “Keep the party going.”
Nearby, Valerie O’Pry was dressed in an elaborate costume, which made it look as if she was on the shoulders of an effigy of President Trump. A sign on the scooter she was riding read, “No Kings, No Idiots Either.”
O’Pry, the Yountville site volunteer for Indivisible Napa, said, “I think we have to continue to keep the pressure on while we are in this authoritarian slide; this is really serious stuff. We are in a time where it is very, very difficult to hold on to our rights. We can bring resistance, without violence. That’s why I am here. I am here to resist.”
In the middle of the demonstration, one attendee took the microphone to lead a call and response with the crowd, “Fired up, ready to go, fired up, ready to go! Who are we? Democracy.”
“There couldn’t be a better place to protest. Yountville is the home of the Veterans Home, the largest in the nation,” said Sharon Stensaas, standing among fellow residents.
Veteran Richard Ethridge, whose mobility scooter is identifiable by its American and Marine Corps flags, wore a blue hat embroidered with, “We The People S.O.A.R” from a pro-democracy group established to, “Save Our American Republic.”
Ethridge, who was a regimental artist in the military, said that he was out demonstrating “for the same reasons as everyone else.” He shared his handwritten note that communicated his perspective on parallels with desegregation in the southern United States, and actions of Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement.
McKee Cant made an announcement for event organizers, to encourage attendees to sign up for a mailing list, “so we can together, be stronger in solidarity in Yountville.”
Farmer, who attended the first No Kings protest at Napa’s Oxbow Commons in June, believes that demonstrating is important. “Make a statement, freedom of speech. We need to send a message to everyone representing this country that there are some things we won’t stand for. They are crossing the line. This is solidarity.”
