Perham Residents Rally on No Kings Day Over War, Voting, Immigration Fears

Jim Komonko drove from Henning to stand on the Otter Tail County Scenic Byway on Saturday because a retired four-star general's account of the president confirmed what Komonko had long felt as a Navy veteran. "He doesn't understand patriotism, or sacrifice," Komonko said of President Trump, citing a report first published by The Atlantic and confirmed by John Kelly, Trump's former White House chief of staff and a retired Marine general.

Komonko was one of about 100 people who lined the byway near its intersection with Coney Street in uptown Perham on March 28, part of the nationwide No Kings Day of protest coordinated by Indivisible and local coalitions. More than 3,300 events took place across the United States that day, with organizers reporting millions of participants.

The Iran war weighed heavily on several attendees. Komonko said the conflict troubled him in part because it bypassed congressional approval. Dee Polman of Wadena said she felt soldiers were being sent into a life-threatening situation "for nothing."

Voting access brought out Rose Mader of Perham, who said the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, known as the SAVE Act, would add effort and expense for citizens exercising their constitutional right to cast a ballot. Her husband Greg said he came because he was disgusted by what the administration has done, pointing specifically to the president hanging massive banners bearing his own likeness in Washington, D.C.

Perham resident Steve Dahl said he had attended five protests in his entire life, all within the past year. He said he came out to defend the Constitution, with particular concern for the Bill of Rights. Sheila Piippo of New York Mills was also in the line of attendees.

The crowd drew regular honks and waves from passing drivers. At one point, attendees broke into a boo toward a vehicle heading south on the byway.

While Perham's gathering stayed small and local, the statewide flagship rally at the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul drew more than 100,000 people, including a performance by Bruce Springsteen and speeches from Sen. Bernie Sanders. Indivisible organizers are encouraging participants to follow up through letter-writing campaigns, voter-registration drives, and town-hall style meetings.