The second protest in Hopkinsville against President Trump and his policies was larger and louder than the first demonstration several weeks ago.
Approximately 150 people joined the “No Kings” rally Saturday. Protesters lined the West Ninth Street sidewalk next to the Christian County Justice Center to hoist homemade signs and chant messages such as “Due process” and “For the people” as cars passed them with horns blaring.
Numerous drivers and passengers waved to the protesters or held a thumbs up. A few raised a middle finger.
“I am thrilled to see all of this turnout,” said Christian County resident Victoria Keith, who helped organize the first rally in mid-April that drew a few dozen protesters. “This is so much more than I expected, and livelier than I expected.”
Demonstrations across Kentucky and the nation coincided with the observance of Flag Day and occurred hours before a U.S. military parade in Washington, D.C. The president, who turned 79 on Saturday, promoted the parade as a celebration of the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. Critics said the parade was an authoritarian display, and that it was too costly at an estimated $25 million to $45 million.
Along those lines, Hopkinsville resident Beth Roberts’ protest sign read, “If there’s money for a parade, then there’s money for Medicaid!”
Across the street, one Trump supporter stood alone and waved a large American flag.
“We are a military town,” said Christian County resident Carolyn Paige, who wore a Trump hat and shirt. “I think this is disrespectful, especially on the Army’s birthday.”
A man who said he was a veteran eventually joined Paige and told her, “I couldn’t let you stand out here alone.” He said the protestors were “idiots.”
Several of the protesters said they were encouraged by the number of people willing to make a public statement of their opposition to Trump’s policies, including his administration’s immigration enforcement and ICE operations.
“I am more reassured that Hopkinsville is a place with political diversity,” said Sam Cotthoff, a Centre College student majoring in anthropology who is home for the summer break.
Cotthoff said he came to the protest to stand up for his morals. He said he disagrees with the president’s values.
“I think it’s important for people to realize that our small town is just as diverse as the big cities,” said Brittany Cruz, a Hopkinsville resident. “We are not just a sea of red.”
The local protestors could have gone to Nashville, said Cruz, “but we are here so people realize that our small town cares, too.”
(Presidential election results in Christian County have been overwhelmingly in favor of Republicans for several decades. In the 2024 election, Donald Trump received 66.13% of the vote to Kamala Harris’ 32.56%.)
Perhaps the oldest demonstrator at the Hopkinsville rally was 94-year-old Lewis Carter, a former Thomas Industries worker who was president of the local electrical workers union. He used the back of a painting to write his protest message, “ICE is not the American Way.”
“I get along with all kinds of people, Democrats and Republicans,” he said.
But Carter said his biggest issue with the Trump administration is the treatment of immigrants. Even those who are here illegally should not be sent to prisons out of the country, he said.
Two sisters who joined the protest — Carrie Nunnally, of Cadiz, and Debbie Rager, of Hopkinsville — pulled out old T-shirts and political buttons they inherited from their mother, Roberta Galli, an outspoken feminist who died in 2012. They said their mother’s lessons about speaking up are especially helpful in America today.
“We come from Founding Fathers that believed in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of beliefs — and now with this administration we are getting away from that. We are going backward,” said Nunnally.
She said standing with “like-minded” people gives her hope.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
