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LAKEPORT, Calif. — The latest in a series of nationwide pro-democracy protests took place on Saturday, with the Lake County event eclipsing previous protests in size.
The “No Kings II” protest took place from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday in downtown Lakeport.
It was centered at Old Courthouse Museum Park on North Main Street, but the number of demonstrators stretched out across the sidewalk on the other side of the park, with small numbers of people also gathered at the corners of Second and Third streets.
A smaller protest also took place at the same time at Middletown Square Park.
The first No Kings Nationwide rally took place on June 14, and that event in Lakeport was at the same spot.
Organizers said the June 14 events brought out close to five million people nationwide and an estimated 1,200 in Lakeport.
On Saturday, organizers and media reports put the total number of planned protests at 2700 across all 50 states, with a number of demonstrations also planned in solidarity in Europe. All told, early estimates of total attendance across those events is as many as 7.6 million people.
In Lakeport, members of Indivisible Lake County, the nonpartisan grassroots organization that organized this and earlier events, told Lake County News that as many as 2,000 people participated. Lake County News’ count of crowd size halfway through the event found about 800 people on site, as the crowd continued to change, with people coming and going on a constant basis.
At the estimated attendance size, it’s believed to be the largest such protest in Lake County history.
Those in attendance included several former county supervisors — Ed Robey, Denise Rushing and Jim Steele — and current District 5 Supervisor Jessica Pyska.
The mood in Lakeport was upbeat. In addition to a few thousand people, many accompanied by their pet dogs, there were a number of people in colorful inflatable costumes — including a few frogs in a homage to the Portland Frog, two unicorns and a squirrel.
There also was music and, as motorists made their way through the area, there was the sound of honking horns from many who wanted to show their support.
Organizers had trained attendants to make sure people were safely crossing the street at the crosswalks. Trained volunteers also quickly responded when a man fainted in the sun. Firefighters were called and treated the man.
Many attendees carried colorful and clever signs with a variety of slogans:
• Eat the rich, feed the poor.
• A republic, if you can keep it.
• Morons are governing America.
• Freedom not Fuhrer.
• Yes on Prop. 50.
• Democracy can’t be Trumped.
• Crazy cat ladies don’t like autocracies or bullies.
• Make America kind again.
• Your vote is your voice.
• Democracy not autocracy.
• America rejects kings. Get out!
• No troops in American streets. No faux king way!
• Trash Trump’s tariff taxes.
• Dude, where’s my due process?
• Hands off! Imagine hating immigrants more than pedophiles.
• We the people deserve better.
• Where is our Congress?
• Release the Epstein files.
• Too much wrong for one sign.
Among those in costume was Kate Schmidt-Hopper, dressed in a flowing white dress and large hat with a sign that said, “USA: Rejecting tyrants since 1776” on one side and “Your Vote is Your Voice” on the other.
Schmidt-Hopper was dressed as a suffragist — the term she prefers to suffragette — who fought for women’s right to vote at the turn of the 20th century. Some of them were treated brutally, suffering jail time and forced feeding in response to hunger strikes.
Asked if she happened to have the costume handy, she responded, “I did just happen to have it,” as she had purchased it to wear for July 4.
“It seemed appropriate for the moment,” said Schmidt-Hopper, who said she’s particularly concerned about women’s voting rights being eroded due to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE, Act, which would create barriers to voting for women who have changed their name.
“I’m actually pretty concerned about that,” she said, adding, “Young women really need to look at where this is going.”
Down at the corner of Second and Main streets, Terri Paulsen of Lakeport carried a sign that said “Pat Paulsen for President.”
It featured an image of her father, late comedian Pat Paulsen, who ran a number of satirical presidential campaigns between 1968 and 1996 and actually managed to get on the ballot for state primaries including New Hampshire and North Dakota.
Pat Paulsen lived in Sonoma County and at one point proclaimed himself the mayor of the town of Asti, near where he owned and operated a vineyard and winery.
Terri Paulsen, who grew up in Cloverdale, has lived in Lakeport for four years.
Of her decision to take part in the protest, she said, “I didn’t wake up to be angry or anything,” but that when she woke up Saturday, she thought it would be fun to come down and participate.
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