‘This needs to be the start’: Protesters gather at New Denmark Park to take part in nationwide No Kings event

Published 3:58 pm Saturday, October 18, 2025

A group of protesters, local candidates and concerned citizens came to New Denmark Park Saturday morning for the No Kings protest as part of an effort across the U.S. to rally against the Trump administration and its recent actions.

Topics of importance during the event included immigration enforcement, tariffs, alleged cuts to Medicaid and other programs and the president’s recent deployment of the National Guard to various U.S. cities. 

Jake Johnson, a candidate for the 1st District Congressional seat, spoke at the protest. 

“I’ve taught for the last 20 years in Rochester,” Johnson said. “And, yes, I have taught math to my students and the future generations of this country, but I have also tried to teach my students that their hard work matters. That their ideas have value, and to me, that is exactly what the promise of America is … You work hard, that you dedicate yourself to a cause and you are paid off in the end.” 

Johnson said he grew up in Stewartville, had many siblings, and parents who were a garbage man and a meter maid. Through hard work and the support of his community, he said, he was able to make it to the middle class. The ideals of America are under attack like they have never before been in this lifetime, he said, adding the problem has been exacerbated by tariffs, the One Big Beautiful Bill and other actions by the Trump administration. 

“We have a Congress that has abdicated its responsibility and said, ‘Whatever you want, Mr. President, because you have a mandate.’ And it’s not fair,” Johnson said. “This cannot be the end. This needs to be the start.”

Another community member running for office, Angie Hanson, also spoke. Hanson is running for Minnesota state Senate District 23A, but said that is not the reason she is participating in the No Kings protest.

“Donald Trump is a dictator,” she said. “He rules by fear. He tries to control by having the National Guard take over cities. He tries to expound fear by zip-tying children and having ICE stand outside of school and terrorize children. He tries to bring down free speech by detaining and deporting students with student visas. Donald Trump is a dictator who tries to rule by authoritarianism [with] fear and cruelty.”

Hanson said she hopes the No Kings protests show people that Minnesotans and people across the country stand for democracy and freedom of speech. She also hopes to show the public that the event is a peaceful protest and does not stand for violence.

Hanson dressed in an axolotl costume to show support for protesters in Portland. She said people attending the rallies there mostly wore frog costumes, but she was not able to get one.

One protester at Saturday’s event, Wende Taylor, said she came to the No Kings protest to show support for people of color, documented and undocumented immigrants and the LGBTQ community. 

“I am a proud American. I am not proud of what’s going on in the United States government right now and this administration,” Taylor said. “ICE going in and ripping families apart, and the people out there … are not educating themselves on what’s really going on right now. And they would be appalled if they paid attention — I would hope they would be appalled.”