‘March on’ Trump protesters. Prolonged, mass protests can — and have — succeeded (Letters)

March on Trump protesters Prolonged mass protests can and have succeeded Re No Kings rally has lost even this sympathetic critic of President Donald Trump Oct commentary Krista Kafer has forgotten why we dumped the tea in the harbor in the first place Revealing latent Tory sympathies Kafer suggests the No Kings marches should be curtailed because the events aren t changing any minds Perhaps Kafer shouldn t be so sure about that Did her Sunday column change any minds One march might not change a mind one march does not create a movement But as the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements demonstrated prolonged protests can create political momentum and in the end can change minds The Voting Rights Act is one example of that You know the same Voting Rights Act the Trumplicans want to dismantle There are so plenty of reasons to protest Trump No Kings marchers attend for different reasons March on my brothers and sisters Barry Noreen Denver For those who claim the No Kings demonstrations are worthless and ineffective look at America during the last years Women fought and won the right to vote through peaceful demonstrations The protesters were confronted with a great number of being sent to jail Men were directed to prohibit their wives and daughters from participating in the marches with men physically assaulting the protesters Rights for women prevailed In the s and s protesters marched for civil rights for people of color often being met by extreme violence perpetuated by racists and bigots The Civil Rights Act was passed because of the bravery of those demonstrators This day the No Kings protesters face accusations from the GOP that No King demonstrators are paid violent domestic terrorists If you look at images of the day before today s rallies you will find grandmas and grandpas sometimes using walkers parents and children chanting they love America and loudly reminding all that these demonstrations is what democracy looks like Yes the demonstrators stand behind antifa antifascism Antifa is NOT a dark organization It is taking a hard stand AGAINST fascism My question to those who criticize these marches why aren t you a follower of the antifa belief If you disagree with antifa then you patronage fascism dictatorship and the abolishment of our Constitution The millions of people who marched and rallied on Saturday are true patriots who are demonstrating to protect our country our democracy and our Constitution Gary Johnson Greeley Krista Kafer is the kind of Republican I can respectfully listen to I don t unfailingly agree with her but she often offers perspectives that are worth considering But her criticism of the No King s rally was disingenuous Did she really think millions of people gathered with the idea they were going to convert MAGA supporters Did she think those at the rally thought U S Speaker Mike Johnson was going to see the crowds and get the cojones to become a leader rather than a minion Saturday s rally sent a message of hope It was a boost to battered spirits that we are not alone It is elevating to realize there are various kinds of Americans who share the idea America should not cave to the ugliness and self-interest of people like Donald Trump or Stephen Miller Reasonable people know good people can do bad things and bad people can do good things If the Gaza peace deal survives kudos to Trump for giving it impetus but that doesn t erase the genuinely destructive effect of his domestic policies The No Kings protest was a joyful acknowledgement that there is still a lot to love about America and it was out in force on Saturday It was a shout We still have hope The fact that Kafer didn t get that says more about her than about the protesters A Lynn Buschhoff Denver I have identified myself agreeing with much of what Krista Kafer has mentioned in recent weeks until Sunday In her opinion piece she argued against the No King Rallies by saying Trump is no king which bulk people would agree is technically a true message However a king governs absolutely ignoring the rule of law and ignoring all democratic principles This is exactly the way Trump is attempting to govern All his social media posts last Saturday showing himself garbed as a king are representative of how he sees himself and his unlimited power The No Kings rallies all over the world were in assistance of the philosophy that we don t want someone leading the United States who thinks they can govern like a king ignoring all our democratic principles and laws Lynne Montague-Clouse Highlands Ranch I agree that someone could have come up with a more pertinent title for the No Kings event But please don t disparage the entire event The day before I attended my first No Kings rally and I can say it was empowering to see so countless like-minded people getting together to make a report I felt empowered to do more These events are extremely fundamental especially in an age where majority people sit at home looking at screens These events are a very visible and tangible declaration of how people think and feel and have been since at least the s Ms Kafer asks Did this event change a single mind Of curriculum it did It changed my mind Bart Cox Denver Kings employ rule by fiat edict intimidating shows of force and acts of retribution along with personal attributes of arrogance hubris and entitlement These characteristics are clearly in practice and on full display by President Trump Their enumeration will not all fit on a protest placard Neither will the admitted litany of President Trump s negatives listed in Krista Kafer s Sunday column She mistakes the vast number of protestors as having the same platform as she does for elongated expressions of their positions of discontent Criticizing the expressions used by the throngs of protestors is shortsighted A column in a newspaper is not needed to remind Trump and his minions that while we hear him declare he is not a king the tried-and-true axiom actions speak louder than words is wholly applicable In statistics there is a widely accepted term known as a representative sampling Based upon this statistical application the numbers in the streets on Saturday depicted a larger level of discontent with the Trump administration While we applaud the Middle East s progress towards a peaceful existence between the tens of millions there as we approach million here we are as concerned with our own freedom as we are with theirs Bill Starks Arvada Disingenuous has never been more applicable than with Krista Kafer s assertion that No Kings lacked clarity She knows the gaudy gold fittings and lack of the symbolism of royalty are not the issue It is his actions against the citizens of his own country The good he has done with Israel and Palestine is not going to be the salve that binds him to his clear-eyed and fearful detractors She is intentionally obtuse when she contends the lack of regalia is more relevant than Mr Trump s moves toward authoritarianism and a unitary presidency than his actual deeds of sending masked police into cities with the military people being swept off the street and their whereabouts unknown the wholesale termination of the employment of persons perceived to be disloyal the unctuousness he demands of his minions and his threats to other politicians even in his own party Well Ms Kafer if that doesn t qualify him to be in the ranks of the Putins and Maduros I am not sure what more evidence you need If you do not understand this then I guess you are not paying attention So just keep cackling at the overwrought who are concerned and marching for our future Mary Wamsley Denver What did No Kings accomplish Kafer is lost The No Kings march was not about Israel or any of Trump s policies but his tactic to act in a belligerent and autocratic manner to sweep power from Congress corporate America universities and states The conceptual connection between the name No Kings March and Trump s first months back in office should be obvious Ms Kafer never addressed her central question so I will Informed citizens We learned the incremental shift in our democracy to an autocratic and dictatorial form of cabinet Galvanized patriots Division and chaos are Trump s tools This march brought unity and a vision for millions of patriots marching towards the elections Therapeutic outlet Various have experienced shock and awe anger bewilderment depression and even stained relations with family and friends from Trump s charades This march reminded us that we are not alone and there are groups to join and actions to take Motivating force Within hours of the FOCO march I donated flaunted my No Kings badge at the CSU homecoming contest and wrote this response Messaging Seven million patriots sent a loud message of unrest to Democrats Republicans and independents The honeymoon is over and we will not cower before an authoritarian regime GOP embarrassment Trump and his jesters look like fools here and abroad for their lies and belittlement of this we the people march Momentum The marches will be bigger and in every gerrymandered district Glenn Haas Fort Collins I looked at your online photo of tens of thousands of No Kings protesters in jaw-dropping disbelief The throngs outside the state Capitol dome gleaming in the sunshine were reminiscent of the civil rights march on Washington in the s or at the very least a Broncos Super Bowl win I was so happy I cried Then I turned to Perspective and saw the huge page two headline on Krista Kafer s column putting down the protests and my bubble burst I was transported back to the grim reality of the multiple Americans who still help the tactics of a dictator It isn t hyperbole to say that I wrote this for the same reason people were demonstrating not to have an immediate impact but to patronage and validate other people like myself Beverly Bennett Aurora Krista Kafer decided to avoid Saturday s No Kings rallies because she had to look up the purpose of the rallies on a website How precious It s tempting to paraphrase the Declaration of Independence e g obstructing the administration of justice dissolving our legislature refusing his assent to our laws affecting to render the military superior to civil offices imposing taxes without our consent quartering large bodies of armed troops among us to paint the parallels between the Trump administration and King George III It is sufficient to observe Ms Kafer s extenuating apologies notwithstanding Trump thinks of himself as king He posted a crowned image of himself flying a fighter jet emblazoned with King Trump and dumping sewage sludge or feces on a No Kings march His disdain for Americans is palpable Randy Livingston Denver Regarding Krista Kafer s op-ed where she does not know what No Kings means I would direct her attention to Justice Sonia Sotomayor s dissent in Trump v United States where she mentioned the relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably In every use of official power the President is now a king above the law Mark Risner Englewood Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns editorials and more To send a letter to the editor about this article submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail