Political tensions are currently simmering across the United States, with polarization evident on stickers, teeshirts and in social media comments, as well as at regular protests.
While a new major No Kings Protest is being planned for October 18th against the Trump administration, there are regular protesters as well, such as locals with Indivisible Northern Nevada, who have been picketing outside of the U.S. District Courthouse in Reno for months on a week to week basis.
One of the recent participants retiree Nancise said she “supports the democratic way, democracy. A lot of people say ‘oh I don’t get involved in politics’ but politics is touching us everyday now because of the elite.”
Gary Robinson, a long time activist, has worked volunteering at elections since 2008, saying people often overlook the importance of local races.
“They're the ones that are going to spend our tax dollars and I want to make sure that the people are there in the power that are making the right decisions. You know, it goes back a long ways. I marched against the Vietnam War. I was tear gassed. I was involved with the organization for supporting people in their rights concerning the Vietnam War. So I started really kind of being involved with protest politics back in the 1960s. And I got to the point where I realized that I really wasn't going to have the impact I wanted to have and see the changes I wanted to change unless I got involved on a different level. Unless I became a part of the community and supported the concepts and ideas that I think were important for our community to flourish. So that’s why I’m out here.”
Nick Webb, an immigrant from Spain, is another regular at protests with Indivisible, who says he experienced growing up in a dictatorship, and is passionate about preventing a similar outcome here.
“I'm an immigrant,” he repeated. “I was born in a dictatorship. I don’t particularly want to die in one, but it looks like that's the way it's going. Personally, beyond that it just offends me because it affects so many people that, not me personally, I'm a rich old white guy. I'm fine. But so many people that I know and I care about are being unjustly, unconstitutionally, illegally, etc. and morally, persecuted. Why?”
Webb and others with this movement are urging the local community to join the bigger protest next weekend.
“Obviously we'll be going to that as well, most of our friends, and hopefully millions of people all over the country.”