‘No Dictators’ protest on Kauaʻi draws 1,000 people angry with Trump administration

When Athena Alexander, Kaitlyn Downer and Emmy Harrah were asked what brought them out to the “Freedom and Unity: No Dictators” protest outside of Kaua’i Community College in Lihu’e on Saturday, they had one definitive answer: “Rage.” 

“We as young people have to speak up,” said Alexander, 25. “It’s a privilege to stay silent and we cannot afford to do so.”  

Fueled by anger, anxiety and empathy for their fellow community members, hundreds of Kaua’i protesters attended the protest despite tropical downpours to speak out against the Trump administration.

The June 14th protest was part of a national day of protest known as “No Kings Day” — a movement against government overstep by the Trump administration, according to officials with the 50501 movement, one of the organizers of the national protest.

Kauaʻiʻs event was one of hundreds around the nation that took place on Saturday to coincide with a controversial military parade in Washington, D.C., that marked the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, but also Trump’s 79th birthday. 

On Kaua’i, however, the protest was instead called the “Freedom and Unity: No Dictators” protest, or “F.U. Authoritarianism” for short. Kaua’i is the only protest in the nation to deviate from the “No Kings” title, according to Margie Merryman, an organizer with Indivisible Kaua’i.

Merryman said this decision was made to honor and respect the Native Kings of Hawai’i, who ruled over the islands long before U.S. occupation. 

According to an official counter from Indivisible Kaua’i, by 10 a.m. (the midway point of the 9 to 11 a.m. event) more than 1,000 people were in attendance. Organizers said the total number of participants likely is higher as people filtered in and out during the course of the demonstration. 

Merryman said organizers are “proud of the turnout,” adding “it gives me faith and hope that we can persist in our resistance.”

While emotions ran high among the participants, the protest was entirely peaceful and did not receive any counter protestors, according to Kaua’i Indivisible organizers. 

The event was an outlet for many to voice a wide range of grievances with the Trump administration. 

To Harrah, the hypocrisy of the current administration is unacceptable: “He’s spending 47 million dollars of taxpayer money for his birthday military parade, but somehow there’s no money for veterans?” 

Alexander had a long list of issues, saying: “Where do I even start? He’s attacking women. He’s attacking POC [persons of color], immigrants and students. He’s isolating the U.S. from its international allies and stoking international tensions and conflicts.”

And she added:  “There’s a genocide happening in Palestine, and he’s not doing a damn thing about it.” 

To Saul Jaramillo, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdowns on immigrant communities on the mainland hit close to home.

“All my family is Mexican, and they’re scared,” he said. “There’s always been fear and xenophobia, but now they’re really trying to hunt us down.” 

While Jaramillo’s concern for his family inspired him to show up to the protest, seeing the turnout gave him hope.

“Growing up here on Kaua’i, I’ve never really felt much Mexican representation, but today, I feel proud seeing how many members of the community are out supporting the cause,” he said.

Others in attendance also have family members affected by the ICE crackdowns. 

“My family back in California is afraid to go outside,” said Rosa Tabares, a first-generation immigrant from Mexico. “People are getting rounded up without a warrant or due process.”

Tabares said she is not afraid, adding: “No one is going to tell me to hide. I worked as a civil servant in this country for decades and my son is a Marine. I’m here to stand up for due process. I’m here to fight for my rights as an American citizen. I’m angry and I’m not going to be silent.” 

For Sonya and Yasmin, who would only provide their first names, the event was a way to teach their young keiki a lesson in compassion. Yasmin brought her 11-month-old daughter to the event wrapped in her keffiyeh, a symbol of solidarity and freedom for the Palestinian people. 

“It’s never too early to teach them about compassion and loving their neighbor,” she said. “No one is free until we are all free.”

While many were driven to the protest out of solidarity and support for movements happening across the mainland and the rest of the world, Merryman said Trump’s federal policies also can have direct impacts on Kaua’i’s local community.  

“The tax cuts he wants to give to billionaires is off the back of the working class,” Merryman said. “He’s cutting back federal funding and people across Hawai’i could lose SNAP [food assistance], Medicaid and other critical social programs. This will affect our keiki and our kūpuna, especially those that rely on housing assistance, social security and other social services.” 

Julie Hayward, a member of Indivisible Kaua’i, said: “We need to put pressure on our democratic leaders and hold them accountable to do the right thing. These community protests are important because it shows people that they have a voice. Oftentimes people can feel overwhelmed or hopeless given everything going on, but these events give people hope.”