In Cave Creek, Arizona, progressive activists held a happy hour and food drive in the days after the "No Kings" rallies. In Chattanooga, Tennessee, activists sponsored a Halloween-themed protest near the offices of local members of Congress. In Lexington, Kentucky, residents hosted an "introduction to grassroots organizing" course.
On Oct. 18, millions of Americans flowed into the streets to protest President Donald Trump's policies at more than 2,700 "No Kings" rallies. But even though the turnout set records, a one-day event isn't enough to bring dramatic political change, organizers agreed.
What's required, they said, is quiet groundwork, the steady drumbeat of activism between protests in places like Arizona, Tennessee and Kentucky, and a consistently high level of public engagement across the country.
"What we need ‒ to sort of not be trite about it ‒ but to save democracy, is to have a level of activation and understanding that goes far beyond anything we've had before," said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, a non-profit, consumer rights advocacy group. "It's this civic moment that is unparalleled, and that's what we're trying to achieve here."
Critics mocked the mid-October day of rallies as pointless, downplayed the number of participants and said those who attended hate America.
