The voices of hundreds of protestors rose in unison on Licking County Courthouse lawn, a resounding choir of Licking County residents whose chants penetrated the air of the otherwise eerily quiet square.
The voices belonged to protestors participating in the worldwide No Kings Day protest on June 14, the same day as President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. The protest, organized by the 50501 organization, was organized to criticize what some organizers have called Trump’s increasingly authoritarian approach to governing.
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The demonstration drew in an estimated five million protesters across 2,100 protests in all 50 states.
Protestors at the Newark, Ohio rally stood or sat on the courthouse lawn, holding posters, cardboard and printed signs reading “stop fascism” and “end hate.”
The organizers, from the Licking County Democrats, weaved their way through the crowd with clipboards in hand for protesters to sign a referendum that could put Senate Bill 1 – formally known as the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, a bill that would crack down on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, university faculty collective bargaining and discussion of “controversial topics” in college classrooms – on the ballot for a public vote.
Others wore neon yellow t-shirts, showing that they were the protest marshals trained to de-escalate any interactions with counter protestors.
Maxim Boukhtin was one of them. With his yellow shirt and baseball cap, Boukhtin volunteered to make signs and receive marshal training because he harbors a deep frustration with the current presidential administration.
“I’m very pro law and order. I really dislike that Trump is basically ignoring the courts,” Boukhtin said.
Another marshal, Ken Billig, stood just a few feet away from Boukhtin, easy to spot in his highlighter yellow shirt.
Billig worries about the state of freedom of speech and expression, especially for his children.
“I feel like if I don’t stand up, my kids won’t have any future,” Billig said.
Despite living in a predominately red state, Billig believes many feel the same.
So does organizer Brittany Wurm with the Licking County Democrats.
Wurm’s job was to distribute flyers, curate the speaker line up and work the crowd. But those aren’t the reasons she attended the June 14 protest.
“They’re tearing families apart. They’re kidnapping people off of the streets. They’re stripping rights from women, (the) LGBTQ community, marginalizing the people that need this help the most,” Wurm said.
Organizers also passed out flyers and pamphlets with protest rules and guidelines:
Be Respectful.
Do not block roads.
Stay on the sidewalks.
Do not litter.
Chant loud.
Stand proud.
You are not alone.
Wurm, like Billig, also worries for the future of her children.
“I’m not going to let them grow up in a greedy society where my eight-year-old has more human decency than the people that are in power,” Wurm said.
This protest, according to Wurm, acts as a reminder that those opposed to the current government will not give up voicing their dissent with the administration. And with the turnout, which organizers estimated was more than 1,000 people, Wurm is hopeful that many people feel the same way, and are willing to show it.
At 2:01 p.m., the protest formally began when Dave McElfresh, president of the Licking-Knox Central Labor Council, picked up a megaphone and began speaking in front of the massive American flag that hangs from the courthouse steps.
“We, the people, stand united in condemning any actions that threaten the rule of law, weaken the balance of power and undermine the core principles that uphold our democracy,” McElfresh said.
“The United States is not a monarchy. It’s a republic founded on democratic values, where no one is above the law and the people are the ultimate authority,” McElfresh said, still addressing the crowd.
McElfresh, aside from being a labor union president, is a firefighter in Newark. He attended to advocate for those who can’t speak for themselves, or those who may not realize what is happening, according to McElfresh.
“Whether you supported the man in the presidency now or not, I don’t think you expected what we’re seeing, the attacks on the working poor, the attacks on our veterans, the attacks on education,” McElfresh said.
Other speakers at the protest included Kaylee Dinnenn, an associate professor at the Central Ohio Technical College and John Begala, a former state representative for District 62.
Begala attended the protest to raise awareness about Project Narrative, an undertaking dedicated to telling the stories behind the many government employees that have lost their jobs due to the DOGE cuts.
“There’s people from both political parties and a lot of independents too, like myself, who are hopeful of helping people understand that this is actually coming down and hitting people they know. It isn’t some abstract thing going on in Washington, DC, ” Begala said.
After the speeches wrapped up, and the people’s oath recited, McElfresh, megaphone in hand, descended the stairs, signaling the start of the march.
McElfresh raised the megaphone, and the crowd began to chant with him as they left the courthouse lawn and took to the sidewalk surrounding the courthouse.
“No crowns, no thrones, no kings,” they chanted.
Maddie Luebkert writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.