ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - “No Kings” protests are happening across the country today, June 14, including right here in Southwest Georgia. Participants said they are protesting President Trump’s agenda and use of power. This comes as the nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US Army with a military parade in Washington, D.C. this evening.

Just over 100 people spent their Saturday morning lined up on Dawson Road and Westover Boulevard in Albany to protest the policies of the Trump administration.

Cars passing by could hear protestors chanting anti-Trump slogans like, “No kings!” and “Small hands, small feet, all you do is golf and tweet.”

Albany Police Department officers on-scene who were monitoring the protest said that it was calm throughout the day.

This event was the fifth local protest since March of this year that was organized by the Dougherty Loves Democracy group in Albany. The group said they stand against authoritarian rule by the executive branch, the use of military policing cities, policies that they say attack science, and spending bills that impact Americans’ access to healthcare.

Protestors at the event in Albany showed that you don’t have to live in a big city to let your voice be heard.

“When you’re in a small, southern town and a very red state, you end up thinking that nothing happens here, that there is no movement, and that everyone feels the same as the majority,” protestor Nikki Bass said. “I am here to show that that’s not true. There are plenty of us in town that are against what’s happening.”

When asked about what specific policies Albany protestors were against, many said they disapprove of Trump’s immigration policies and the recent ICE raids happening throughout the country as of late.

“If [Trump] wants to get rid of criminals, let him get rid of criminals. We do not want criminals here,” another protestor, Chris Dayani said. “But the majority of people — the 15 million people he wants to deport — are not criminals. They are law-abiding people, and they are good people.”

Both local and state Republican leaders said they are happy that Albany’s “No Kings” protest was done in a way where no one was injured and no property was damaged.

“Everyone has the right to protest. You know, the immigration issue is a complicated issue, certainly. I support folks legally coming to the United States to work and all that, but it does have to be done in a legal manner,” State Representative Bill Yearta, who represents Albany in the Georgia House of Representatives, said.

These nationwide “No Kings” protests coincide with the United States Army’s 250th birthday parade. One organizer of the Albany protest, Tim Wesselman, commented on the event planned in DC tonight.

“We are told our government is in such bad shape that we need to eliminate 200,000 jobs, that [Turner Job Corps] here in Albany needs to close and 800 people need to be unemployed. Yet, we can spend tens of millions of dollars on a parade that looks like it belongs in Moscow,” Wesselman said.

Meanwhile, Trump supporters say that the country is recalibrating after the Biden administration, which they believe was too lax and liberal on its border and immigration policy.

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