San Luis Obispo County participated in the second national No Kings rally on Saturday.
Mandi Sweet is the Lead Medic for the event.
“We are watching a fascist, authoritarian takeover in real time,” Sweet said. “Just like a frog in a pot of boiling water, it's heating up so slowly that we don't realize we're cooking and dying.”
At the No Kings protest in Downtown San Luis Obispo, posters, balloons and costumes of frogs peppered the crowd. Gael Mueller said it’s to represent and show support for the “Freedom Frog” in Portland, Oregon.
“He's the guy that stood in front of the National Guard and sang to them and danced for them, and they pepper sprayed him,” Mueller said. “He came back every day. He's brave. He's insanely wonderful and I think he needed a little love.”
For the second time this year, a No Kings rally was held on Saturday across the country in protest of the Trump administration and what rally organizers call unilateral decisions. Thousands of people held a rally outside the SLO County Courthouse it was one of several rallies that was held across the Central Coast.
Elliott Halcon is part of the Cal Poly Democrats.
“It's not just about left or right right now,” Halcon said. “It's about the Constitution and the rule of law. We aren't just here as Democrats. We're here as Americans who are looking to make sure that the Constitution reigns supreme for all sides, for all people.”
“I don't care if you're in Texas or Montana or Portland or, you know, Timbuktu,” Mueller said. “It doesn't matter. It's our freedoms we're talking about.”
Earlier this week, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson addressed the rally at a press conference.
They're going to descend on our Capitol for their much anticipated so-called No Kings rally,” Johnson said. “We refer to it by its more accurate description, the Hate America Rally and, I'm not sure how anybody can refute that.”
Aubree Diacon from the Cal Poly Democrats said it’s anything but.
“This is our country,” Diacon said. “If we aren't going to fight for it, no one else is.”
