Alison Patton
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
“No Kings” protests took place across the United States on Saturday in opposition of President Donald Trump, including in Columbia.
Chants of “no fear, no hate, no ICE in our state!” were heard in the morning, as hundreds of protesters gathered at the Boone County Courthouse Plaza.
This marked the second such protest in Columbia, with the first taking place in June.
Carmel Skrable was holding a sign that said “We want America back,” while sitting on the columns near the courthouse.
“Growing up in America, you had so many freedoms that I’ve taken for granted,” Skrable said. “Now, I’m starting to question those freedoms.”
Skrable said arrests made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that “snatch people off the street,” as well as inflation and insurance rates potentially going up is where her frustration lies.
“I’m here because I want America back the way I remember it,” Skrable said.
Owen Ramsingh’s wife and his best friend, Robert Olson, were at the protest to raise awareness about his story and raise money for legal fees.
ICE detained Ramsingh in September after he came back from the Netherlands, where he was born. ICE cites drug charges on his record from his youth for his arrest. Ramsingh has held a green card since 1986, and he is now being held in El Paso, Texas.
Robert Olson said the organizers of the protest invited them to set up a booth.
“It’s a story that people around here can actively help with,” Olson said. “It’s a cause that they can have influence on right away.”
Protesters also marched through city streets, chanting and waving their signs. One protester even traveled four hours to join her friends in the march.
“There’s a lot of things about this administration that I don’t agree with,” Tori Willis said. “ICE is a huge part of it. I think they’re treating people inhumanely, immoral.”
Willis’ sign said “They blame immigrants, so you won’t blame billionaires.”
Willis said the sign points out that politicians are using immigrants as a distraction from other issues.
“All the corrupt mess and all the villainization of these communities, you know, they’re pointing us away from the Epstein files, they’re pointing us away from the things they’re trying to do underneath,” Willis said.
No counter-protests were seen.
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