'No Kings' demonstration held in downtown Appleton. 10/18/2025. PC: WTAQ News
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) — It’s being called one of the largest single-day nationwide demonstrations in U.S. history.
Saturday saw nearly 7 million Americans in over 2,700 cities and towns come together for the No Kings Day of Peaceful Action.
The No Kings Coalition says ‘America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people.’
That message was said loud and clear by many No Kings demonstrators across America and right here in Wisconsin on Saturday.
This wasn’t the first time Americans came together in support of the message.
The first No Kings demonstration was held on June 14; on the same day as the U.S. Army 250th Anniversary Parade and President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.
The core of the demonstration revolves around the message of keeping America a republic; something many say is under attack by the Trump administration.
At Appleton’s No Kings demonstration, a variety of different people from different walks of life spoke on what’s important to them, and what they feel is at stake.
Joyce Braunreiter was one of about 4,000 people who gathered downtown. She held her sign which read “I’m not radical, I just remember history.”
“I was born during World War II and I don’t want to see our country become a fascist dictatorship,” said Braunreiter. “I can see that Trump is following Hitler’s playbook. And I love America. I don’t want to see it end up fascist.”
She certainly wasn’t the only demonstrator to draw that parallel. Sam Stratton voiced heavy opposition to practices carried out by Federal Immigration and Customs enforcement officers.
“ICE enforcement is just ridiculously racist and it’s almost a one-to-one comparison with Nazi-Era Gestapo raids,” said Stratton. “We’re reaching an inflection point with Donald Trump’s militarization of law enforcement and hyper-normalization of militaristic violence of the police.”
Demonstrator Heather Wiik DuBois spoke on the importance of upholding the constitution, and paying critical attention to it’s language.
“The Constitution doesn’t say anything about ‘citizens’ when it comes to their rights. It says ‘persons,” she said. “The Constitution was developed and created at a great time when America was expanding and there was a mass movement of individuals coming to this country. And that is a sovereign and sacred thing.”
Rev. Mark Richards with the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Door County says we need a government that represents the people.
“I visit with people every day, and I know that we care about each other. We want to feed the hungry. We want to care for the sick. We want to welcome the stranger. This is who we are. But this government doesn’t represent that,” he said.
One of the organizers of Appleton’s No Kings demonstration was Hate Free Outagamie. Co-chair Mary Bogen believes the political establishment is proving that it’s not going to save us.
“We’re tired of being taken for a ride and having politicians drag their feet while we’re actually out here experiencing the terrible effects,” said Bogen. “There’s a lot of food insecurity, homelessness, and they can’t ignore an organized community that knows how to wield its power.”
“They’re going to just keep pushing the line and trying to see, ‘okay, what will it take to get people to just stop and just let us get away with all of this stuff?’ So I think it is really important to be willing to come out and just make it known,” said Walter Mongin.
He said that’s why he was there with his family. And even though there’s always a potential for escalation with counter protests, his mother, Ann Mongin, said we’re already in danger.
“The cruelty of this administration just breaks my heart on a daily basis. What’s happening to immigrants, and Gaza…” she said. “We’re to the point where you don’t feel unsafe protesting. Because if you don’t, it’s already so unsafe and becoming more unsafe every day.”
What do demonstrators say is their overall objective of organizing and participating in these events?
“I hope people will wake up, and try and question why are we protesting, and start reading,” said Braunreiter.
Stratton added, “Action is the cure to despair. So if you’re feeling really lost and sort of unanchored right now, it’s really important to get connected with your community and any organizations that are standing up against fascism and resisting.”
“If people think about what’s going on, and consider it with a clear heart; keeping in mind that we are a nation of love,” said Rev. Richards. “Our faith, all the faiths are based on love. Then we can be a faithful nation. And that’s what I’m hoping for.”
It remains to be seen what, if any, changes the current administration will make in response to the demonstration.
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