Hundreds in Butte join cities across the nation in holding 'No Kings' protest rally

Hundreds of protestors lined the street in front of Butte Plaza Mall on Saturday for the latest “No Kings” rally, the first since October, and waved as cars drove by.

Indivisible Butte, which organized Saturday's rally and the previous “No Kings” events in Butte, estimated a crowd size of 800 attendees.

Denise Herman, a member of Indivisible Butte’s leadership team, described the protest as an opportunity to build community and spark hope and enthusiasm among rally-goers.

“No Kings has been an effective way across the country to remind everybody how many people do not approve of the current administrative overreach,” Herman said.

Butte's event was one of 28 that organizers planned across Montana on Saturday and one of thousands nationwide. Across the country, organizers estimated more than 7 million people would attend rallies in their respective communities.

Signs held by attendees celebrated the recent announcements by Montana's U.S. Sen. Steve Daines and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke that they would not seek reelection, showed support for Palestine and Ukraine, called for reformation to the U.S. health care system, commented on the state of democracy and, by and large, insulted President Trump.

There were no speakers during the event. Tables for Indivisible Butte, booths to register to vote and signature-gathering operations for multiple ballot initiatives were set up in the parking lot.

Herman said it was important to have other resources at the event. “Protesting is only one action to take to try to affect change,” she said.