Monarch Media

By Jessica Kenley

COUDERSPORT, PA–According to organizers nationwide, more than 8 million people attended the most recent “No Kings” protests across the United States on Saturday, March 28, 2026. The demonstrations, which spanned over 3,300 locations in all 50 states to protest the Trump administration, were billed as the largest single-day protest in U.S. history.

In Coudersport, Pennsylvania, this demonstration was held on the Courthouse Square, where approximately 120 protestors gathered at the pavilion beforehand to get signs and get stoked about the rally, even though it was windy and frigid outside.

Linda Klingaman, Chair of the Potter County Democratic Party, helped organize the event and attended. She commented after the event that, “This was a nonpartisan protest attended by Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who showed up to fight for our democracy.” 

Some of the value statements posted on the Potter County Democratic Party’s website says that it, “…is committed to championing the values of equality, justice, and truth for all Americans. We work to create an inclusive society where every individual has access to opportunity, healthcare, education, and a fair economy…”

Back at the protest, a woman who identified herself only as “Missy,” 63, had this to say about what brought her out to the protest: “The ‘No Kings’ rally goes beyond no kings. It’s everything that it stands for. You know, everything’s being taken away from us, and we’re just sitting back watching. We can’t sit back and watch.”

She continued, “I’ve got kids and grandkids in this country. I don’t want them growing up in this world we’ve seen in the last year…everything that the United States for 250 years of building has been destroyed, so it’s time to build it back up.” 

When asked how she explains the current situation in the United States to her children and grandchildren, she said, “Schools aren’t teaching everything. You have to sit down and tell them, ‘Don’t look at the news. Look at reality. Are you seeing prices coming down? Are you seeing your friends going off to war, do you want your friends to be ripped away by ICE?’” 

When asked if she thought that her protesting made a difference, Missy explained, “People always say, ‘Why do you rally? What difference does it make?’ It shows people that we’re not afraid, we’re not going to stand back, we’re not going to take what’s being thrown out on us. And there are options. There’s always an option.”

Brent Bryant, another organizer, explained that the “NO KINGS” rally was being held in order to, “Celebrate freedom and to speak out against some of the injustices in our country.” 

There were also many people wearing red hats, which is a tribute to the fact that during WWII, red knit hats (specifically Norwegian nisselue caps) became a symbol of quiet resistance against Nazi occupation. Today, these hats are used to promote unity and support immigrant rights. 

Before the protest got into full swing, there were instructions from the organizers not to engage with the opposition, should there be counterprotestors, and the introduction of Mia from the Ray Bilger campaign and her beagle. 

Ray Bilger is a registered Democrat who, “wants to help rebuild the 15th Congressional District,” according to his website, and has served in both Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Bilger is running against Republican Glenn Thompson, who has held this office since 2008. 

The 15th Congressional District represents all of Armstrong, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, McKean, Potter, Snyder, Tioga, Union, and Warren counties and parts of Indiana, Lycoming, and Venango counties.

Up next to speak was Zachary Ware, a Democrat, who is running for the PA State House of Representatives in District 67 against Republican and long-time State Representative, Martin Causer. Causer has been in this office since 2002. 

Ware stressed the importance to the crowd of not bowing to a “wannabe dictator,” and standing together against “any man or would-be king.” 

Amid cheers and other expressions of approval, Ware said, “We march united, and we march together, and when this rally is over, our work isn’t done. We keep organizing. We keep connecting. We keep building the kind of Pennsylvania, the kind of America, that we all want to live in, that we want to leave to our children. When we leave here, we leave united, we leave loud. We stand for freedom. We stand for each other. Let them hear us today. In this country, the power belongs to the people!”

And with that rallying cry, the protestors lined up around the Courthouse Square, and held their signs proudly, some dressed up in funny costumes like space aliens and dinosaurs, in a display of what is known as tactical frivolity, strategic silliness, or culture jamming. This form of peaceful, creative dissent uses humor and spectacle to disarm authorities, gain media attention, and challenge narratives of violence, often seen recently in inflatable animal suits.

The pink dinosaur did not have a comment.

Mia Petrunyak from Ray Bilger’s team commented, “We are district strong…Ray’s main components of his campaign are affordability, infrastructure, and health care.” 

Off the courthouse gazebo, Zachary Ware said that what inspired him to run was, “a lot of little things building up over time.” He said he was born and raised in Bradford, Pennsylvania, and lives there now. Watching his young daughter grow, Ware said he started thinking about “what kind of future is she going to have in this area? He went on to talk about the population “hemorrhaging for years…leaving the area has just been the status quo for two decades.” 

Ware mentioned that he had loved growing up in the area when he was young and, “Running around in the woods and catching crayfish and minnows,” but that there had to be something beyond that like educational and job prospects for when children get older and grow up. Talking about his young daughter, he said, “There has to be something here for her to grow into, and something for her to be able to do in this area, and in 20 years, I’m not sure if she’s going to have that, when she decides to settle down and pick somewhere to live.”

Ware went on to discuss wage stagnation, the aging population, the health care desert in this area, saying forcefully that he was going to do “everything in his power,” to stop these things from continuing. Ware even mentioned his own wife, when she gave birth to their daughter, had to go to Buffalo, because they could not go to Bradford and receive the care that they needed. He went on to say that roadside births, while becoming more common because of maternity deserts, are often reported by the media as successful when the mother and baby survive, “…should have never been a story in the first place.” 

Ware went on to say, “You see this massive snowball effect, where if you want medical care, you’ve got to start traveling for it. People are going to see their medical insurance costs rise, and they are going to lose medical insurance, and it’s going to continue to harm people.” 

Jaimi Hajzus, 44, who travelled from Franklin, PA to be a part of this protest said that, “Trump’s policies are an assault on our democracy.”

No counterprotestors were noted in the time that Monarch Media was interviewing demonstrators.