No Kings: June 14 2025

I got most of my steps attending a rally yesterday.

alt

It was a wild day in Minnesota yesterday. Like everywhere across the US, we had many peaceful “No Kings” protests. But in addition to that, one of our senators was murdered in her home, along with her husband, in a senseless politically motivated assassination. Also two others — another senator and his wife — were also shot by the same guy who is now on the run. Senator Hoffman and his wife are expected to survive.

As I write this, it is Father’s Day in the US, and the children of Senator Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark are grieving the loss of their parents.

Now, I know people have many different feelings and ideas about all this. I’m not here to talk about my political affiliation or promote my views and ideals, other than to say I believe in democracy and the democratic process established by our country’s founders. We have a constitution and constitutional processes in place. I can’t back a leader who does not adhere to those principles.

As the news of the shootings flew across the media yesterday morning, apparently perpetuated by a man named Vance Boelter who is the subject of the ongoing manhunt, there were also warnings that “out of an abundance of caution” people should stay home and not attend the No Kings demonstrations.

I don’t think it impacted the turnout much, quite honestly. (Should an entire state stay inside when one lunatic assassin with a specific agenda is on-the-run and clearly in hiding somewhere?) There were thousands of people at our local rally.

Here are some of the signs and scenes I captured with my phone camera as my husband and I strolled among the masses.

alt

Now, it must be said. There’s nothing wrong with kings (and queens) per se. If that’s a fact of your country’s governmental system and it works for the people (I.e. in the UK where it is balanced ostensibly by the parliamentary system) then power to you. But it is not how the US government was founded and built, and the current administration appears to be trying to change that. I just hope we won’t end up in civil war in the process of defending our democratic process.

That’s all I have to say. Thanks for visiting.

Photo credits: All of the photos in this post were taken by me and belong to me, unless otherwise noted.

My bio: I am a fiction writer and photographer based in Minnesota. I have had a lifelong love of fiction writing. I am earned my MFA in writing from the University of New Hampshire. My short stories go de have appeared in a range of literary journals and anthologies, and my first short story collection, Somewhere in Minnesota is available on Amazon US as well as international Amazon sites., Barnes & Noble or from the publisher.