Through rain and shine, Fort Worthians filled Burk Burnett Park yesterday for the city’s second No Kings protest of the year. Organizers with the progressive group Indivisible 12 estimated between 7,000 and 8,000 attendees, the largest protest in Fort Worth’s history. The rally was part of similar rallies across the country. Estimates indicate that nearly 7 million Americans participated in more than 2,500 cities and towns. By most accounts, every rally was peaceful.
Throughout the march downtown, protesters carried signs calling for the protection of democracy, comparing the president to other fascist leaders, and demanding the release of the Epstein files.
Like other recent protests across the country, a few Fort Worthians wore inflatable costumes of both real and mythical creatures — a trend popularized by the viral TikTok of cops pepper-spraying the Portland Frog at an ICE protest.
While the national No Kings movement originated to challenge the rise of fascism within the federal government, community speakers brought the importance of local issues to the forefront.
EJ Carrion, host of 817 Podcast, addressed the recent restrictions to city council public comment meetings. “We can now only speak at council 10 times. Imagine you having a problem and you gotta find the one time you can speak, maybe that month.”
Patrice Jones, activist and founder of Southside Community Gardens, pointed out the lack of representative leadership in the majority-minority city, stating, “Our local leadership continues to reflect the few, not the many. … City leaders smile in our faces while they dismantle accountability and erase empathy.”
Alisa Simmons, County Commissioner for Precinct 2, said, “You’ve watched these clowns systematically dismantle the social safety net in this county that took generations, generations to build,” referencing cuts to hospital budgets, the elimination of health and human services departments, and the local shutdown of 125 polling places.
Other speakers included City Councilman Chris Nettles, Texas State Rep. Nicole Collier, activist Chris Tackett, and others.
Whether discussing Mayor Mattie Parker’s ties to conservative church Mercy Culture, the high rate of inmate deaths in Tarrant County Jail with little accountability, County Judge Tim O’Hare’s gerrymandering, or unconstitutional ICE detentions, the message across all speakers was consistent — get involved in local government, encourage others to do the same, and vote like democracy depends on it.
