Thousands of locals attend second wave of 'No Kings' protests opposing Trump administration

From Local 3 News: Thousands of people swarmed the streets of downtown Chattanooga as part of the nationwide 'No Kings' protest Saturday. It was just one of around 2,500 protests taking place across the country in opposition of the Trump administration.

The sounds of chanting and honking filled the air as protesters lined every street corner near Miller Park.

This was the second, and larger, wave of 'No Kings' protests this year, as an estimated 400 more cities joined in following the last major rallies held in mid-June.

Protesters say they've gathered again to address what they say is a misuse and abuse of power by President Trump.

"People, I think, are fed up and are ready for something different and for something better,” says protester Ted Deyoe.

Many were dressed in various costumes, and others wore red, white and blue. Phil Compton dressed as a founding father.

“We fought a war 250 years ago. We don’t want to have to fight again, but we’re not going to sit down and be quiet,” he says. “We’re going to call it like we see it, and this tyrant cannot stand. This tyranny cannot stand,” referring to President Trump and the Trump administration. "That's why me and so many other people are out here today–to say, 'No kings in America.'"

Other protests took place in Cleveland, Tennessee and Dalton, Georgia, where many protesters are expressing their disfavor with recent ICE and immigration raids.

"Here in Dalton, we've had a lot of families and family members be detained and treated unfairly,” Jessica Jaconetti, a protest organizer, says. “He [Trump] is doing things unconstitutionally that go against our basic human rights. He is acting like a king, and we need to nip that in the bud before it grows somewhere we can no longer do anything about it, and we are powerless to do anything but sit back and watch.”

But, not everyone who showed up came to protest with the majority. Just across the street, holding a pro-Trump sign and waving an American flag, stood Carla Teasley and her husband.

"We did not come to fight with anybody or be ugly to anybody, but we just wanted to show our support to our president. He's not king. He's a president,” Carla says.
 
Both protesters and counter-protesters say they couldn't stay silent any longer and want to find common ground on one matter.

"Get them all together and let them work on a solution instead of finger-pointing with each other and saying, 'It's your fault,' and then the other one saying, 'it's your fault,’” Carla says. “It's silly. They're acting like toddlers–all of them."

Carla says she’s never seen America this divided and just wishes for unity once again.

"With all the hatred that both sides are spewing, and let’s be fair, it’s not just one side,” she says. “We just want everybody to try to come together and work together as a team, because that’s the only way America is going to make it.”

Lynn Rose, the organizer of the Cleveland protest, says, "I think you ought to be able to agree to disagree. You don't have to agree on everything, but you do have to talk to each other to come to a compromise, and that's what's wrong with our government. Everybody wants it their way."