Protesters demonstrating against the policies of President Donald Trump gathered across the state on Saturday, joining the national day of “No Kings” rallies.
In Hawaiʻi, the events were called “No Dictators," and crowds gathered from Hilo, Kona and Waimea on the Big Island to Kahului on Maui.
Outside the Hawaiʻi State Capitol in Honolulu, HPR spoke with several people about why they came out to protest, including Susan "Sue" Yamane-Carpenter of Waiʻanae.
"I am very concerned about what Trump is doing in a lot of the cities here across the United States, bringing in the military and overrunning the local police, and expecting the military to now do the job of our police. Nah, that's not right," Yamane-Carpenter said.
"I believe that in a democracy, we have rules. Our Constitution has said, you know, we're not going to be turning our military against our own people, except in cases of insurrection, and all of the cases that he cites as insurrections, it's bogus. He just does that. And he's, in my opinion, a megalomaniac, and he's not trustworthy," she continued.
Also on Saturday, Susan Wilcox of Wahiawā was holding a sign that said "Courage is Contagious."
"It's the sign I have because as many people as are out here today, I think there are many, many others who are staying home. They might be a little bit nervous about what might happen. They might be a little nervous about being seen in a crowd like this," Wilcox said.
"I want them to know that if we are out here, let's have that courage to be contagious. You get out here, too."
When asked what brought her out, Wilcox said, "I am so totally against what is happening in this country that I can barely sleep at night sometimes."
Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaiʻi and Indivisible Hawaiʻi were mobilizing thousands of people to protest. U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda spoke in support of the organizations’ efforts on Thursday.
”What we have here, my friends, are want-to-be kings who are going around talking and acting like a bunch of dictators,” Tokuda said. “They want to rule, not serve. They want obedience, not what's best for our people. They want chaos, not compromise.”
ACLU Hawaiʻi Director Salmah Rizvi said that showing up to a protest is the first step, but that people should also pay attention to state legislation.
In June, a similar protest brought out about 7,000 people statewide and close to 5,000 at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol in Honolulu, according to organizers.
This story will be updated.
HPR's DW Gibson, Catherine Cruz and Emma Caires contributed to this story.
