Participants joined the No Kings rally in Fargo on June 14, 2025. (Photo by Erin Hemme Froslie/For the North Dakota Monitor)
By: Michael Achterling
JAMESTOWN, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota No Kings rally organizers say they expect bigger crowds on Saturday than events held in June because people are feeling ignored by federal lawmakers.
Ten No Kings protests are planned in cities across North Dakota with more than 2,000 events scheduled nationwide. The national movement emphasizes that America does not believe in kings or dictators, but the power belongs to the people.
Olivia Schloegel, one of the Jamestown event organizers, said citizens call and submit comments to members of North Dakota’s congressional delegation, but they don’t feel heard.
Schloegel moved to Jamestown in 2018 as a federal worker for the U.S. Department of the Interior. Though she no longer works for the government, she said she is disheartened by the treatment of federal workers under President Donald Trump’s second term.
“Our federal services and workforce is being gutted at such an extreme and destructive pace,” Schloegel said. “The checks and balances I learned about in high school government do not seem to be honored.”
Nikki Tickerhoof, an organizer for the No Kings protest in Minot, said the Air Force base is important to the community, and residents are worried about impacts from the federal government shutdown. Trump issued a memo on Wednesday directing military service members to be paid on Oct. 15. However, the memo is unclear if funds will be available to pay service members at the end of October.
“A lot of the families that I know of, they are already struggling as it is,” Tickerhoof said.
While she doesn’t expect any major incidents to occur, Tickerhoof said she requested additional law enforcement to be in the protest area to ensure safety.
Fargo’s No Kings rally drew about 3,000 people in June, according to organizer Lyn Dockter-Pinnick. Since then, frustrations have grown with federal actions, including National Guard soldiers being deployed to American cities, she said.
“We do expect the same, or more, people because of the dire situation that we’re finding ourselves in,” Dockter-Pinnick said.
The Fargo event will feature speakers from the AFL-CIO labor union, American Civil Liberties Union and other community activists.
The Bismarck No Kings event will feature a “free speech minute” where participants will be able to use a microphone or bullhorn to deliver a one-minute statement.
The protest in Williston will feature a keynote speech from former Democratic-NPL Party U.S. House candidate Trygve Hammer.
LuAnn Casler, an organizer for the Williston event, said about 150 people participated in June, and she expects more on Saturday.
“People were clamoring,” Casler said. “We had people from Montana, people from Canada that came.”
Dockter-Pinnick said participants are focused on having a peaceful protest.
“We’re not showing up with guns, or knives, or weapons,” she said. “We’re showing up only with our souls full of worry about our country.”
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