A demonstration organized in protest of what supporters describe as growing authoritarian actions from the federal government is scheduled to take place this Saturday in downtown Texarkana.
The No Kings Rally will gather at 10 a.m. at 500 N. State Line Avenue, in front of the federal building. The event is part of a larger “nationwide day of defiance” aimed at President Donald Trump and what organizers call his administration’s “authoritarian excesses and corruption.”
“In America, we don’t put up with would-be kings,” reads a statement from the event’s official website. “No Kings is a national day of action and mass mobilization in response to increasing abuses of power from Trump and his allies.”
According to organizers, the federal government has “cracked down on free speech, detained people for their political views, threatened to deport American citizens and defied the courts,” all while allegedly working to benefit wealthy political allies.
Protests are planned in over 2,000 locations nationwide, including large demonstrations in Los Angeles, where National Guard units and Marines have been deployed amid ongoing protests against immigration enforcement operations.
A founding principle of the No Kings movement is a strict commitment to nonviolent action. “We expect all participants to seek to deescalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values,” organizers emphasized.
In response to anticipated protests across the state, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced National Guard deployments to Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington.
Locally, the Texarkana Texas Police Department and Texarkana Arkansas Police Department will both monitor the downtown demonstration, though officials say they aren’t expecting major issues.
The No Kings theme was originally developed by the 50501 Movement — named to signify 50 states, 50 protests, and one unified movement and is heavily financed by Walmart heiress, Christy Walton. A previous No Kings Day was held on Presidents Day in February in support of federal workers affected by government actions. Nobody showed up!
Saturday’s rally in Texarkana is expected to draw participants from both sides of the state line… we’ll see.
