TOPEKA (KSNT) – The upcoming “No Kings” protest is expected to bring thousands of people to downtown Topeka, right outside of the Statehouse building.
Organizers say the goal is to stand up against what they see as government overreach from the administration of President Donald Trump. After similar protest in other cities have become chaotic and even violent, safety is the top priority for both protestors and law enforcement.
“We are doing a lot of preparation,” Kansas 50501 Protest Coordinator Christie Peterson said. “We 100% expect this to be a peaceful protest. That’s always been our focus, and we think it needs to continue to be that.”
What are the ICE partnerships being formed with Kansas sheriffs?
Others are concerned about safety at the event after seeing the results of other protests around the country. The chairwoman of the Kansas Republican Party said she’s not convinced the protest will stay civil.
“Peaceful protests turned into riots in LA and then they continue to escalate and then to bring that to our community, to bring it to Kansas and expect it to be peaceful is probably unreasonable,” said Kansas GOP Chairwoman Danedri Herbert. “It’s putting Kansas citizens in danger.”
Topeka strip club owner indicted for machine gun possession
Organizers say they have been working with capitol police to prepare for any situation.
“Our policy has always been with counter-protesters to ignore them,” Peterson said. “So, if there are any counter-protesters, we’re not expecting a problem with that. Our people are just going to ignore them, and they have their right to speak and we have our right to speak.”
The No Kings protest will be on the south side of the Statehouse in Topeka on Saturday, June 14 in the afternoon. You can learn more about other No Kings protests happening around the nation this weekend by clicking here.
Topeka motel could disappear with $15 million project
For more crime news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.
