“Protest is Patriotic,” read one of Faith Frieda Wilson and Abby Monis’ signs as they stood on the corner of Valencia Boulevard and McBean Parkway on Saturday.
The College of the Canyons students and political science majors attended the nationwide “No Kings Day” protest in Valencia and joined a crowd made up of people of all ages.
The two students who met at school attended the demonstration to practice their First Amendment rights and surround themselves with others who may “feel the way I do,” said Monis. “It’s so important to go to the local protests to show that it’s not just the big cities and the liberal areas.”
Frieda Wilson echoed those remarks and added that those present were a community of people that “want to protect and continue to uphold America’s ideals and foundations of our country,” she said. She also brought a copy of the United States Constitution to engage in dialogue with the opposing side and ready to cite the fundamental rules of the country and citizens’ rights, she said.
But for the 19- and 20-year-old students, it was also a way to be a part of history, they said.
The “No Kings Day” protest on Saturday was the second major demonstration the Santa Clarita Valley saw following the June 8 protests attended by approximately 2,000 people. The protest was organized by a national coalition of liberal organizations and financial backers opposing President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies.
Although it was not known how many people were present at one time or another throughout the morning and early afternoon, the crowd was in the hundreds around midday, with people holding signs, flags, banners and some even in costumes stretching from McBean Parkway to Citrus Street.
Among that crowd stood residents Wanda Butler and Patricia Lingle, who made their way to the protest to “give more attention to what is happening to our democracy. We need to show support and to support each other,” Lingle said.
“Our freedom is next, and we all have a voice,” Butler said, adding that the way the administration has handled recent issues is alarming.
As the president of the country, they understand Trump must carry out certain tasks and obligations, but they said their problem was with how they’re being carried out.
“The taking children, bombarding people. We don’t even know who’s (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) or who’s employed (with them),” Butler said.
“I’m older but I’m concerned for my nieces and nephews,” Lingle said, adding that there can be consequences in the future if “we don’t get this regime out.”
They both urged the younger generation and the rest of the public to educate themselves about state and national policies that could affect them with time. “Get smart with reading and our history, past history, and what’s happened in the past and how we’re moving in that direction again,” Lingle said.
Tristan McGrath, a COC political science major, was also present with his parents holding signs along the street in participation.
For him, it was a way to not feel alone, and seeing her son practice his constitutional rights was a proud moment for her, said his mother Diana McGrath.
McGrath was present to be a voice fighting for LGBTQ and women’s rights, among other groups, he said.
As Frieda Wilson and Monis were on their way out, Monis said she would like “to put the priority back on the people and not on corporations, Democrat or Republican. Corporations are getting the energy and the focus right now, and that’s not what this country is about.”
As a message to the opposing side, Monis said: “I think we really have the same goals, and we just feel like there are different ways to get to that goal. I would like us to work together and figure it out because we really are more alike than we think.”
“We have a lot of the same values. We want to keep our families safe. We want to be able to express ourselves and have freedom of speech in our country. I hope that we can cultivate conversations and try to understand each other instead of shut each other out.”
