Crowds of protesters gathered for another “No Kings” movement last weekend, a protest against those who act as “kings” in the United States, across San Diego. In Ocean Beach, some Point Loma Nazarene University students and professors gathered with the crowd.
According to the No Kings website, the movement is centered around the protest of President Donald Trump’s administration and aims to encourage participants to peacefully fight for dignity.
Following the previous “No Kings” movement held on Oct. 18, another protest was held on March 28, with San Diegans gathering across counties, including El Cajon and Chula Vista, to protest.
The gathering in Ocean Beach was idle with participants flooding the street surrounding the corner of Point Loma and Sunset Cliffs Blvd., a busy road leading into Ocean Beach from the Interstate 8 freeway. Passing cars honked in support of the protestors, waving or some holding signs outside of their car windows.
Michael Lodahl, a professor of theology and world religions at PLNU, was a participant at the Ocean Beach protests and had also attended the most recent “No Kings” movement in Downtown San Diego. He said this protest was much smaller than the other protest, but the energy “feels good.”
Lodahl said he attended this protest out of concern for the current administration.
“I feel that so deeply I can’t stay at home,” Lodahl said. “It’s one thing I can do that’s immediate, that says ‘I can’t just sit back and not say or do anything’ … that’s easy for me. This is about saying, ‘I want to count. I want my voice to be heard.’”
A Point Loma resident who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal also attended the movement. For this protest, the source said they participated to “proclaim the gospel,” holding a sign that said, “How can you love your enemy when bombing their children?”
“So many people in America, when they think of Christianity in America today, especially when they’re thinking of evangelicalism, they’re thinking of Christian nationalism, Trumpism, anti-immigrant sentiments, all of these things that go directly against Jesus’ teachings,” the source said. “This matters a great deal to me because I’m a Christian.”
Blake Bridges, a second-year environmental studies major at PLNU, said this was his first time at a protest. He said it was his New Year’s resolution to go to one he believed in.
“I felt like I was at a breaking point, so this protest actually helped me relieve a lot of that inside anger and stuff in a positive and enlightening way,” Bridges said.
Bridges and Abby Pickett, a third-year philosophy major at PLNU, both said they appreciated seeing PLNU professors at the protest.
“I think, especially within the theology department, it’s really significant to see people come out for an event like this, because I know within the theology department, there’s a lot of heat, and there’s a lot of attacks that can come,” Pickett said. “It’s nice to know that there are still people who will stand up for you, even if it’s a bit scary.”
Pickett said that while the Ocean Beach protest was smaller than the downtown one she previously attended, she enjoyed seeing the community get together.
“I saw a lot more people talking with each other, getting to know each other and learning about each other,” Pickett said. “We’ve started to lose that as a community with this political divide. We just scream at each other and flip each other off, and we don’t sit and talk … it was a nice breath of fresh air at this protest.”
Carson Dillon