Alpine Participates in Second National “No Kings Day” Protest

By: Maya Tinajero, Skyline Desk-Chief

ALPINE – A crowd of around 200 people from Alpine and the surrounding areas gathered on October 18 to participate in the second national “No Kings Day” protest against the Trump Administration.

Alpine was the largest local protest in the area.

The group gathered outside the civic center and was then guided through town by the Alpine police department, ending their walk at the courthouse. The majority of the crowd consisted of older adults, with only three Sul Ross University students in attendance.

Organizers of the protest included former city council member Reagan Stone and members of the Tri-County Democrats, Ramon Rodriguez and Holly Blankenship.

A large focus of the event was safety. Blankenship described the cooperation of the local police department as an “easy” process.

“I said these protests are going to happen whether someone organizes them or not,” Blankenship told the Skyline. “If we organize them, then they’re more likely to be safe and to be done with honor, love, and care.”

When asked why they chose to participate in the organization of the event, former city council member Reagan Stone and tri-county democrat member Ramon Rodriguez spoke about the importance of community.

“It is really important to always move at the community and local level,” said Rodriguez, who stressed the significance of giving hope to the community that “amidst all the chaos, we still have each other.”

According to the “No Kings” website, more than 7 million people participated in more than 2,700 events held in all 50 states. In response to the protests, President Trump shared an AI-generated video to Truth Social showing him wearing a crown and flying a fighter jet over protestors, dropping what appears to be fecal matter in the process.