‘No Kings’ Protest held in Branson

On Saturday, October 18, a group of Branson area residents gathered along W. 76 Country Blvd. as part of the “No Kings” protest movement, events held nationwide to protest what organizers called “excesses” by President Donald Trump and his administration. Although estimates varied and remained unverified at press time, some sources stated that more than 200 organizations partnered in approximately 2,700 events involving “millions.”

In Branson, the Taney County Democrats organization was a strong driver of the protest, stating via social media that they “want tax dollars to pay for healthcare for American citizens instead of another republican [sic] billionaire tax break,” and “want government to run with three branches of government with all of the checks and balances our forefathers wrote into the constitution [sic] of the United States. . . ” Brief conversation with some attendees indicated their agreement with those reasons, as well as questioning the President’s number of executive orders and accusing the administration of not supporting “diversity.”  

Many protestors’ signs referred to “saving our democracy,” prompting one passer-by, not a protest participant, to mention that the United States of America is a constitutional republic, not a democracy; this writer, intrigued, then asked a few protestors to define those terms and the relationship between them. Only one of those asked could do so. That person also shared concerns about the current government shutdown, presently one of the longest ever, that could jeopardize the functioning of our republic as the Founders intended. 

A few individuals present identified themselves, via signage or comments, as being there in support of President Trump, including his choices for Cabinet members. One person was overheard mentioning his support of the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigrants. 

Also on hand at the No Kings Protest in Branson were individuals gathering petition signatures for “fair elections” in Missouri. When asked exactly what the concerns were, one person with a petition clipboard responded that he wasn’t sure; he was just helping because “we need fair elections.” Another said the petition was to overturn recent redistricting legislation, stating that “gerrymandering is illegal” and that people in Missouri’s largest metropolitan areas deserve “fair representation” rather than being placed in districts with “farmers who don’t understand their needs.” When asked for his thoughts about proposed petition reform to help ensure that those farmers and other people outside of the state’s largest metropolitan areas also received fair representation, that individual responded that he did not talk to reporters. 

Prior to Saturday, some online sources expressed concerns about possible chaos or violence such as occurred at some similar events held last June. At the time of our visit, however, the Branson event seemed orderly and well-organized; a Branson police officer stationed nearby said that other than a few issues with people crossing the street unsafely or into unapproved areas, there had been no incidents requiring his intervention. 

“We all have the right to express our opinions,” the officer stated. “I think many citizens have the same basic goals of wanting to protect our freedom; we’re just not always agreed on the best way to get there.”