RUSH: A cross section of citizens in Salisbury came out for Saturday's No King's Rally. It was one of 2,600 demonstrations held in all 50 states to protest what many see as an alarming tendency toward authoritarianism and official lawlessness under President Donald Trump. Delmarva Public Media's Kevin Diaz was there and files this report.
DIAZ: The "No Kings" rally in Salisbury is attracting a pretty boisterous crowd. It's been growing from about several hundred people in the early going, to between 500, a thousand, maybe even more, stretching down Route 13, starting mainly at the intersection with College Avenue where there are crowds of people on all four corners.
PROTESTOR: Keep it strong! You want to see the Crowns of Lady Liberty and no one else
DIAZ: This is the Statue of Liberty here:
PROTESTOR: I am the Statue of Liberty because I want to be able to make sure that the only crown we ever see is that of Lady Liberty.
DIAZ: The line of protestors goes all the way down to about Bateman Avenue, and they're singing, there's chanting, there's drumming, people holding signs, holding flags, A lot of American flags.
I see you holding an American flag. We've been told that you guys hate America. Is that why you're here?
PROTESTOR 2: No. No. In fact, quite the opposite. I'm here to be a patriot actually and express my right to peaceably assemble and address the grievances that I have with our current government, which are plentiful.
DIAZ: There are people of all ages here, a lot of older folks who look like they've been out in the protest movement before, but there are some college students and children as well.
BREE: My name's Bree. I'm a student here at Salisbury University. I'm a political science student, and we always talk about in class how civic engagement is really important and how democracy is a muscle that you have to exercise or you'll lose it. And I always have friends who aren't political science majors and they ask me, what can they do? This! You can come out and you can protest. You can be active in your community because people will argue that it doesn't make a difference. But if you look at the looks on these people's faces, even if they're just in cars, driving by the solidarity makes people so happy because online you feel like you're alone and that everything is super conservative.
DIAZ: Supporters of the President Trump, as we know, have characterized these protests as Hate America. Rallies bought and paid for by Antifa or some other malevolent force, so we asked some of the protestors about that.
You've got an Antifa sign on your chest. Are you bought and paid for by Antifa?
PROTESTOR 3: Antifa is a state of mind. It's not an organization. So I don't know where the Republicans are getting this idea that it's this group.
DIAZ: Well, who paid for your costume?
PROTESTOR 3: My wife bought this several years ago for a Halloween, and I went to Ace Hardware just over the corner there too, to get the stickers to spell the Antifa.
DIAZ: They're saying that this is a hate America rally. Do you hate America?
PROTESTOR 3: Absolutely not. We love America and that's why we're here.
DIAZ: That guy was dressed as a penguin, by the way.
DIAZ: Here's a gentleman holding an American flag.
CULP: Well, my name is John Culp, CULP, and I'm a veteran and I feel like the veterans should be here.
DIAZ: What do you make of the rhetoric that these kind of protests are actually "hate America" Rallies? Do you hate America?
CULP: God, I love America. Does that tell you why I love America? Three years of my life? Of course, I love America.
DIAZ: Passersby and cars are honking their horns. Some are gunning their engines, I suppose, and disapproval a few cars, patching out, making gestures, but for the most part, the traffic is going by here is pretty supportive. So for Delmarva Public Media, this is Kevin Diaz in Salisbury.
