At noon on Saturday, Oct. 18, more than 250 people gathered around the Putnam County Courthouse for a public demonstration as part of the larger “No Kings” protest campaign happening nationwide against the policies of President Donald Trump’s administration.
An extraordinarily large number of participants, of all ages, were present at the protest. They showed up with placards and banners signifying a variety of messages. One defended democracy and human rights, while another called for the protection of healthcare and free speech.
“It's just a lot of joy and camaraderie in being together.”
Janet Panoch, the organizer of this protest, has been planning for the event for months, with more than 40 people in the community. Even though she is relatively new to Greencastle, this has been her fifth protest. “It all started with a community support group,“ Panoch shared. She started organizing a year ago, motivated by the distress that members in the community faced. She also thanked the local police and the Putnam County Sheriff for their support in making sure this protest remains a positive space.
“Dictatorships always end. No matter how dark it looks right now, it will eventually get better.”
Justice Saint Rain joined the No Kings Protest as he returned to Greencastle for his 50th high school reunion. Rain shared that he has been promoting social causes for a long time. Having participated in prior protests in Bedford and Bloomington, he was excited to be on double duty this weekend.
