Last Tuesday evening in the quiet respite of a West Village pizzeria, a small group of independent activists met over candlelight to discuss plans for the ‘No Kings’ protest, a nationwide movement that challenges what it calls “authoritarian power grabs” by President Donald Trump.
The evening served as the second of the unaffiliated group’s “Democracy Dinners,” a concept developed by Democracy Forward, a legal and public policy organization that started hosting dinners for people to exchange ideas and discuss their frustrations about the country’s trajectory.
“We are all very, very concerned about what is happening to our government and our rights,” said Laurence Mailaender, an engineer who organized the meeting.
Between bites of salad and sips of Coke, surrounded by Halloween decorations and old photographs, four friends discussed a wide range of topics, from the Constitution to wacky videos of Portland protesters wearing animal costumes. But the protest remained the focus of the evening.
“We’re all really upset about the politics,” said Mailaender. “We are going to be marching, we’re going to be peaceful.”
The first No Kings demonstration took place in June and drew around 5 million people in planned protests across the country, according to the organizers.
A July Marist poll showed that 76% of Americans think issues that cause divisiveness are a threat to democracy; while 73% believe political violence is a serious problem.
Jan, a former management consultant turned writer and editor, who asked that her last name not be used in fear of retaliation, said participating in the protest gave her a purpose, otherwise, she’d “just doom scroll and feel depressed.”
On Saturday, Oct. 18, people across all 50 states marched in the streets to condemn Trump’s use of the National Guard and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“He’s making a case for normalizing, militarizing our cities,” said health blogger Lauren Burton, who attended the dinner.
Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan nonprofit that combats authoritarianism, gave the United States a score of 3.3 out of 5, or “severe,” in terms of authoritarianism threat level. The score is based on specific criteria, such as treatment of the media, civil liberties and executive constraints, with a score of one being minimal and five being “catastrophic.” The data also showed that America has steadily been exhibiting signs of authoritarianism since March 2024, with an exception of a few dips.
Steve, a technical writer in education, who did not want to use his last name to protect his job, agreed that the Trump administration is a threat to democracy. “The attack on the Constitution and ignoring court orders…,” he said, “the depth has never been greater.”