Send us Fan Mail

About 150 protestors stood up for democracy in front of the Justice Center in Hopkinsville, Kentucky as part of the third nationwide ‘No Kings’ protest on March 28.

One Hopkinsville protestor brought along recorded music appropriate for the day, blaring out the lyrics, "Get up, stand up for your rights," by the Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley & the Wailers.

The March 28 protests drew an estimated eight million people to more than 3,000 locations in cities and towns across America.

Demonstrators oppose an increasing list of actions by the Trump administration. Issues include the war with Iran launched by President Donald Trump without Congressional approval, ICE raids that have targeted immigrants often without due process, the killing of American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti at demonstrations in Minneapolis and the erosion of the balance of power among the branches of government.

I’m Rhonda Miller. I talked with demonstrators in Hopkinsville, a town of 30,000 in southwestern Kentucky about 12 miles north of the Tennessee border. Hopkinsville is the center of an agricultural and industrial region near the sprawling Fort Campbell Army base.

The protestors included U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps veterans, mental health professionals, retail workers and many retired people who said they're concerned about the increasing threats to democracy previously unimaginable in America.

Hopkinsville protestors ranged in age from their 20s to their 70s, some who said they first began protesting during the Vietnam war.

This is what democracy sounds like when Americans stand up to save their country. I’m Rhonda Miller in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Stark black signs with white letters are lined up along a busy intersection in Nashville, Tennessee. The signs blare out a warning: American democracy is in danger.

The silent protest called "Signs of Fascism" is to get Americans to pay attention to disturbing actions of the federal government.

I'm Rhonda Miller. On a windy Friday the 13th, that's March 13th, I talked with the protestors and read some of the signs.

"Using military and secret police on civilians."

"Accusing others of crimes you commit."

"Using fear and coercion to gain power."

"Replacing reality with lies and conspiracy theories."

Eric Lewis is one of the organizers of "Signs of Fascism." He's part of Nashville Indivisible's Green Collective.

Lewis understands that many people are not paying attention to America's slide toward fascism. That's why the protest happens at different places around the region.

For Lewis, taking an active part in protecting democracy began when he was six years old and lived in Chicago. He went with his mother to protests about the Vietnam War and civil rights.

Others in the group said they're out to help protect democracy, or because they're concerned about the lack of oversight by the Supreme Court, or because there are many actions by the current administration that threaten American freedoms.

Organizer Eric Lewis held a sign about the Nashville "No Kings Day" demonstration on March 28. It will be part of "No Kings Day" protests to be held in hundreds of cities across America.

I'm Rhonda Miller in Nashville, Tennessee.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Demonstrators lined a busy intersection in Brentwood, an upscale community 10 miles south of Nashville, on Sunday, Jan. 11 to protest the killing of 37-year-old Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.

Renee Good, a mother of three, was killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fired through the windshield of her car, according to videos of the fatal incident.

The January 7 killing of an American citizen by an ICE agent ignited protests in more than 1,000 cities across the U.S. in the days following the shooting.

I'm Rhonda Miller. I walked among about 150 demonstrators at a commercial intersection in Brentwood and talked to some protestors, who ranged from an 80-year-old military veteran to a mom who brought her four-year-old daughter.

This is what democracy sounds like one Sunday afternoon in January in Brentwood, Tennessee. I'm Rhonda Miller.

Support the show