Thousands of Iowans gathered for a “No Kings” demonstration at the Iowa Capitol Saturday, protesting against President Donald Trump, his administration and Iowa Republicans for issues like the war in Iran, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement action and discrimination against transgender Americans.
The Saturday gathering was the third No Kings protest in Des Moines, part of the national movement of rallies across the country aimed at showing peaceful resistance to Trump’s actions in power. In Des Moines, some protesters started at the Pappajohn Sculpture Park and marched through downtown to the Capitol, chanting and blowing whistles associated with other protests against ICE.
Dalton Roberts of Des Moines, who marched with the crowd, said it was his first time coming to one of the demonstrations. “I’m being tired sitting around just complaining about it to myself and friends,” he said.
Roberts said he was frustrated by the lack of accountability and “checks and balances” reining in Trump’s actions on the federal level, and said the peaceful protest was a way to ensure those in power understand that many Americans do not agree with Trump’s actions and want to push back.
“The closest comparison I can think of is kind of like in the military — there’s a reason why everyone gets into the formation, gets into the those rows and everything,” Roberts, a veteran, said. “It’s kind of a show of power, or at the very least, it’s supposed to show some amount of agreement (that) what’s going on is wrong.
“I feel like it’s important to also show up, obviously, because if no one’s saying anything, then no one can complain,” he said. “They have reason to be like, ‘well, no one complained about it while it was happening.’ So showing that vehement disagreement with what’s going on is important.”
At the Capitol, thousands held signs and participated in chants and songs led by event organizers who rallied both against Trump and the actions of Iowa Republicans at the state level.
Iowa Rep. Rob Johnson, D-Des Moines, referenced disputes he has had with Republican lawmakers on measures being passed by the GOP trifecta. He said one Republican legislator, who he did not name, made comments that “disrespect” Iowa’s communities of color, and told Johnson they could “talk later” about the issue.
“We don’t need to wait till later to watch you disrespect our communities,” Johnson said. “We don’t need to wait till later to watch you spill hate into our communities. We are here today to tell you that your time is up and that the time is now. And if you want to talk, then you can come and we can talk right now.”
Johnson called on those at the rally to visit tents of Democratic and progressive organizations set up at the event to register people to vote and get signed up for Democratic causes.
Mike Draper, the owner of the Des Moines-based business Raygun, also called for Iowans to rally against the Republicans elected at the state and federal levels, saying Republicans are supporting policies that support the wealthy, not people in the state.
“I cannot be the only one that believes that this state is capable of more,” Draper said. “But our elected officials don’t even believe in us. Our national elected officials support billionaires in the S&P 500. Now, even if you think that that’s morally wrong, I should point out that of the thousand billionaires in America, zero live in Iowa. Of the (S&P 500) companies, one is in Iowa. So when our national elected officials work to build that system, they are not working for this state.”
Jacqui Tesson, a combat veteran, said many of the national issues being discussed also have a direct impact on Iowa. She said as she learned about the start of military action against Iran, she was scared for the life of her best friend’s husband, who was deployed in Kuwait. Two Iowa soldiers were killed in an Iranian strike on a Kuwait facility on March 1.
“I think that we’re at a boiling point, and nobody is ready to be the broth that goes over the lip,” Tesson said.
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