No reports of disturbances
Hundreds lined North Main Street this past weekend during an orderly “No Kings” demonstration including Freia Cooper, who lived through the horrors of fascism.
Her experiences as a young child in Nazi Germany only makes the right to peacefully protest government policies seem even more precious, she said during the June 14 event.
“I came to the United States 71 years ago, I was born before World War II, I lived through fascism, and I do not want it to happen again,” said Cooper, a Taylor resident. “I’m proud to be in this country” According to various media reports, an estimated 5 million people took part in protests in more than 2,100 U.S. cities, including 71 municipalities in Texas, to decry the Trump administration’s stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws, including deportations of migrants with criminal records.
Supporters of the policy say a wave of immigrants who entered the country illegally have put a strain on resources and in many cases pose threats to safety.
In Los Angeles, protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents turned violent, prompting President Donald Trump to federalize the California National Guard.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott called for a surge of 5,000 members of the National Guard and 2,000 Department of Public Safety troopers, though no unruly action was reported in Taylor.
The city moved the Saturday farmers market from Heritage Park to the pavilion in Murphy Park, however.
Cooper was born in 1938 and her family moved to the United States in 1954.
She is proud to be an American, she said.
“I was born in Germany, and I felt the devastation,” Cooper said. “I saw the signs on the windows with the Star of David because you had to identify yourself, and those that said ‘Keine Juden,’ which means ‘No Jews.’ Even as a child, I could still feel the uneasiness.”
Though Cooper is a local, many of the demonstrators came from outside Taylor, hailing from Hutto, Austin, Lago Vista and other places.
Several waved signs and placards bearing phrases such as “1776 called, it said No Kings” to “The power of the people is greater than the people in power.”
“I want to make my voice heard and join the people by protesting against a fascist wannabe,” said Hutto resident John Thompson.
He added he is a big believer in the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech, press freedoms, the right to peaceably assemble and the right “to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
“It’s the First Amendment for a reason,” Thompson said. “If you can’t do this then the rest of it (the Constitution) doesn’t matter. The Constitution hinges on the people being able to express their disappointment and grievances with the government.”
Trump, who celebrated his 79th birthday Sunday while observing a Washington, D.C., parade honoring the 250th anniversary of the Army, seemed to take a humorous view of the “No Kings” demonstrations.
“I don’t feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get stuff approved,” he quipped to reporters from various media outlets.
Critics of the “No Kings” observances noted that in countries with dictatorships, such demonstrations are rarely tolerated or allowed.
