Up to fifteen Alabama cities will take part in tomorrow’s national “no kings” protests. Demonstrators in Mobile, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Florence and Birmingham will be among those expected to march and carry signs against the actions of the Trump Administration. Heather Love is spokeswoman the group Indivisible West in the Tuscaloosa area. She says there are signs that more protesters will show up compared to previous marches.
"We have lots of folks that do come from further out that don't want to go into Birmingham and feel like Tuscaloosa does represent the needs of their community better than some of the communities nearby. So we do see quite a few that come from up to hour two hours away.”
APR news covered the last “No Kings” protest in Tuscaloosa in June. Back then, hand written signs in Tuscaloosa carried slogans like “Not my Emperor,” “Hands off cancer research,” “Families Belong Together—abolish ICE,” “Seek Justice, Love Mercy,” and “Y’all know it’s bad when a pregnant lady is out here protesting,” Adam Rotenberry of West Blocton, who goes by the TikTok nomicker “Incrediberry,” was asked to address the crowd. He quoted Hemingway who said "Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another." Later, Rotenberry decried the actions of some in America, including the fatal shooting of a state lawmaker in Minnesota.
“It's not patriotic,” he told APR back in June. “These folks claim to be Christian. This is the most unChristian stuff I've ever seen. It's the most unpatriotic stuff I've ever seen. How can we be a nation built on these things, and then we do the opposite of these things?”
One possible complication in Tuscaloosa could be the crowds of football fans in town for the Alabama game against Tennessee. Tensions may be running high on Saturday, since both teams are hoping to be playoff contenders. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is also considered to be a front runner for the Heisman Trophy. Indivisable West spokeswoman Heather Love says the football fever has some organizers were nervous..
“And then you take it down to the level here in Tuscaloosa, which it's already a tense day just because of the football game and this intense rivalry that's coming to Tuscaloosa. So I will say, as organizers, we we were a little hesitant,” she said.
During June’s “No Kings” protest, APR news reported how confrontations were isolated. But police in Los Angeles, where protests over federal immigration enforcement raids erupted a week earlier and sparked demonstrations across the country, used tear gas and crowd-control munitions to clear out protesters after the formal event ended. Officers in Portland also fired tear gas and projectiles to disperse a crowd that protested in front of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building well into the evening. In Tuscaloosa, apparent supporters of Trump honked the horns of their trucks.
“Christian faith is incompatible with the Maga movement,” said Jill Silenberg of Tuscaloosa, of the slogan on her protest sign. “And, I fear for our country, and I don't think that wise decisions are being made about, you know, the foreign affairs, and I just see our country crumbling before us. My father in law fought in World War Two. I don't want my sons to have to do the same thing.”
And back in June Salt Lake City, Utah, police were called over a shooting during a march downtown that left one person critically injured. Three people were taken into custody, including a man believed to be the shooter, who also suffered a gunshot wound, according to Police Chief Brian Redd. Redd said it was too early to tell if the shooting was politically motivated and whether those involved knew each other. The shooter appeared to be walking alongside the group of thousands who were marching, he added. Video feeds showed demonstrators running for safety as gunshots rang out.
