a day ago
'No Kings Day' rallies planned in the Triad
HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) — Several events in support of the nationwide protest movement known as 'No Kings Day' are taking place in the Piedmont Triad this weekend.
Rallies and protests are planned in High Point, Lexington, Winston-Salem and Greensboro.
Organizers said the demonstration will be peaceful but powerful with a message aimed against what they call political overreach.
'Everybody has a voice in this country. There's not one voice that … specifically means more than others. That's why we go and vote … The importance of your vote is your voice, so we hope that you come out,' said Tyler Beale, the lead organizer of the High Point No Kings rally.
The High Point 'No Kings' rally is in partnership with Indivisible Guilford County, which is a grassroots organization.
Across the country, organizers are calling the 'No Kings' rallies and protests a 'nationwide day of defiance.'
They said the event is in response to growing concerns about authoritarianism, expressing concerns about President Trump's deployment of the National Guard and Marines in California.
'The use of military or the use of police to either conduct military operations or to … instill fear into people … We shouldn't be a country that's founded and based off of fear. We should be looking ahead and trying to lift each other up and not looking at the past and trying to point fingers,' Beale said.
The High Point event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 415 N. Main St.
Local law enforcement agencies said they are aware and prepared. Each police department provided a statement regarding Saturday's scheduled protests.
'The High Point Police Department will have officers in the area of tomorrow's planned event, monitoring for any safety issues or concerns,' the HPD said in a statement.
'We're kind of expecting … maybe … 4,000 people for this,' Beale said.
In addition to a planned 'No Kings Day' protest, Winston-Salem's Pride parade and festival is also set to take place that same day.
'We are in communication with the organizers of Pride Winston-Salem and will continue to coordinate closely with them. Our top priority is always the safety of all community members, participants and visitors,' the Winston-Salem Police Department said in a statement.
'We are aware of local gatherings related to national events planned for this weekend,' the Greensboro Police Department said in a statement.
The City of Lexington said a permit was issued, and officers will be present.
'What we're doing for safety … really comes down to staffing and making sure that we have adequate staff for the protests, making sure that Lexington Police Department is here in numbers just to ensure that people know that they're in a safe environment to exercise their freedom of assembly,' City of Lexington Marketing and Communications Manager Derwin Hargrave said.
The event in Lexington will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the historic courthouse on South Main Street.
'We just want to assure folks that we want to let folks know that public safety is a partnership, and that also goes along with making sure that we have a peaceful protest,' Hargrave said.
Beale said organizers for the 'No Kings' rally in High Point have been in contact with city officials and police.
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