KINGMAN – A small but resolute group assembled at Locomotive Park this week as part of a coordinated wave of demonstrations taking place across the country in response to actions by the current federal administration.
The midweek gathering, organized by the local group Kingman FreeAmerica, drew a modest turnout but reflected a mix of political backgrounds. Organizer Brian Walter said the goal extends beyond rallying those who already share similar views.
“These rallies tend to preach to the choir and I agree,” Walter said. “Part of what we’re doing is we are reaching out to local liberals, local Democrats, people of all political persuasions who are simply concerned with the way that this country is going.”
One notable shift from earlier local protests was the presence of several participants who identified as former or current Republican voters. Among them was Susan Ivany, attending her third antiadministration rally. She said she remains a registered Republican but feels politically displaced.
“And I stayed that way because I wanted to vote against the extremists,” Ivany said. “So I don’t know what, I’m like in limbo right now. I think a lot of us are. I just can’t put up with what’s going on right now with all of this ICE stuff, and police state. I can’t abide with any of that.”
Another attendee, a military veteran, said he views the American flag not as a partisan symbol but as a representation of the Constitution. Speaking over the noise of a nearby loudspeaker, he explained, “I spent 36 years in the military supporting the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution is the ultimate ‘deep state.’ The flag represents the Constitution to me, and I’m here to defend it.”
Recent national polling has shown a steady decline in the President’s approval rating, with multiple surveys indicating a downward trend in public sentiment. Against that backdrop, Walter closed the Kingman rally with a call for political engagement ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
“We can send a full, clear message to Washington that we will not be governed this way,” he told the crowd. “And one of the best ways to do that is in this midterm election — to flip some of these congressional seats that have been giving Trump rubberstamp support.”
While demonstrations nationwide have varied in tone, participants in Kingman noted a somewhat calmer atmosphere. Several said there appeared to be fewer hostile reactions from passing drivers and a noticeable increase in disaffected Republican voters joining the protest.
The rally concluded without incident at Locomotive Park.
