‘No Kings Rally’ draws 515 in Abilene

By Floyd Miller

About 515 people gathered outside Abilene City Hall on Saturday, Oct. 18, for a “No Kings Rally” to protest policies of the Trump administration, with speakers addressing topics ranging from anti-fascism to immigration enforcement and data center development in rural Texas.

The rally, organized in part by Defend Democracy Abilene, featured multiple speakers who criticized federal immigration operations, executive orders targeting anti-fascist movements and corporate influence in state politics.

Melissa Weaver, leader of Defend Democracy Abilene, opened the speaking portion by addressing President Trump’s executive order last month designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.

“Antifa means anti-fascism,” she told the crowd. “It isn’t an organization with leaders or membership cards. It’s not a club. It’s a commitment.”

She criticized the administration for labeling anti-fascist activists as terrorists while not designating groups such as the KKK, Proud Boys or Patriot Front as terrorist organizations.

Weaver described immigration enforcement operations in Chicago last month where she said ICE agents “rappelled from helicopters onto apartment rooftops at dawn” with “flash bangs, doors blown open, families and children zip tied together.”

“It’s not normal. It’s absolutely not normal,” she said.

Paisley Shelton, Weaver’s daughter, spoke about Gaza and introduced the crowd to Mohammed, a Palestinian friend she connected with about a year and a half ago.

“Palestinians are not numbers. They are neighbors. They dream of dinner tables, weddings, peace, the same ordinary miracles that we take for granted,” Shelton said.

She described Mohammed as having a younger brother with speaking and hearing disabilities and said they have raised money together to help his family survive eight displacements.

“If a girl from Abilene can show up for Mohammed, then Mohammed is part of Abilene now, and that means he’s a part of our community, and we take care of our community,” she said.

Shelton promoted Mohammed’s memoir titled “Free Gaza, a Survivor’s Story,” which serves as a fundraiser to rebuild his family’s home. She shared a passage from the book in which Mohammed wrote about heroism.

“The one who protects his people from death and hunger is a hero, the one who respects and values the lives of people, children and those who suffer, the one who stands with them, not the one who tells them to stand up from outside Gaza while they are comfortable and safe,” she read.

Shelton drew connections between immigration enforcement in the United States and the situation in Gaza.

“A mother in Texas prays her husband isn’t taken in an ice raid. A mother in Gaza prays that bombs miss her children. Different skies and the same fear, different borders, but the same cruelty,” she said.

She added that U.S. police train in Israel and that “when our tax dollars fund a genocide, it becomes an American moral issue.”

Diana Luna, a candidate for House District 71, told the crowd about her background as a mother and nonprofit worker for 20 years. She said she and a friend started a group six years ago during COVID-19 that grew from an expected 20 to 30 liberal women into a larger community.

Luna said she is collecting petition signatures rather than paying the filing fee to get on the ballot.

“I think if you can’t find 500 people to sign your petition, then maybe you shouldn’t be on the ballot,” she said.

She addressed advice she received to move toward the center politically to attract voters who regret voting for Trump.

“I am not suddenly agreeing with those people. They are suddenly agreeing with us,” Luna said.

She outlined values she said she will not compromise.

“What’s happening in Palestine is a genocide. Human rights are for everyone, full stop,” Luna said. I don’t care if it’s an LGBTQ person, a trans person, a person of color, a Mexican person who you’re not sure if they’re actually a citizen. They deserve rights.”

“The purpose of government is to make strong programs that lift us all out of poverty,” Luna said. “In the richest and most technological advanced country in the world, I believe the existence of poverty is violence.”

She called on attendees to get involved in the local Democratic Party as precinct chairs and block walkers, noting there are 14 constitutional amendments on the November ballot.

Sammy Garcia, who spoke later in the program, criticized immigration enforcement tactics and defended the patriotism of rally attendees.

“Do not tell me we hate America,” Garcia said. “Our people love this.”

Garcia questioned why immigration agents wore masks during arrests and defended the Democratic Party affiliation of many attendees.

Riley Rodriguez, a candidate for Texas State Senate District 28, used his speaking time to discuss rural development issues, criticizing what he characterized as exploitation of rural communities by large corporations.

“There are billion dollar corporations like Oracle, Lancium and Palantir. They’re moving into our rural communities. They’re exploiting them for all of their resources, and they are creating a surveillance state,” Rodriguez said.

He criticized data center development in areas with limited water availability and expressed opposition to Texas National Guard deployments to other states, referencing what he described as lessons from 1836.

Rodriguez and Luna are running in the Democratic primary in March, followed by the general election in November.

The event organizer described the rally as “peaceful, but not passive” and framed the gathering as being “about up and down, the people on top and the rest of us underneath.”