Thousands of Lexingtonians protested in downtown Lexington Saturday as part of the No Kings rallies criticizing the Trump administration.
The protest was scheduled to take place outside the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse, an area about a block long. The actual turnout ended up spanning many streets downtown. Many held signs and chanted along busy roads.
Mae Scott is a physics professor who participated in the protests. She says she’s concerned about the federal clawback of research funds.
“A lot of the grants I like to participate in work on making physics a more diverse field,” Scott said. “Most of the programs I'm aware of that have been supporting underrepresented students are getting defunded.”
Lexington city councilmember Tyler Morton was among those at the protest, saying he wanted to get input on issues from his constituents.Morton serves District One, which he says houses some of the most underprivileged people in the city.
“The cuts happening at the federal level are going to directly impact my folks,” Morton said. “So I'm here advocating for those folks, understanding those resources, the assistance that’s needed, and those are lifelines. It’s a matter between life and death for some of those folks.”
Many protested against the ramp-up of ICE raids and the deportation and detainment of immigrants under the administration. That includes Isaac Wink, who says it’s his first time protesting in Lexington.
“When you deport people with no due process, the only protection that anyone has anymore is whiteness, is race, is this idea that you look like what people think makes you an American,” Wink said.
The No Kings protest has been part of a series of similar protests in Lexington. A coalition of activist groups including Progress Kentucky, AFT-United, Bluegrass Activist Alliance, 50501, Peaceful Bluegrass Resistance and Gathering for Democracy also organized protests in April and May. Dana Tackett says she’s out protesting a number of issues.
“I’ve been to several of these marches and demonstrations, it makes you feel like there’s hope when you see other people,” Tackett said. “This is a wide range of people, it’s older people, and younger people, and women, this is wonderful to see.”
Lexington joined several Kentucky cities with their own No Kings protests. That includes Louisville, Bowling Green, Ashland and Morehead, among others.
