With handmade signs, American flags and a cheerful spirit, hundreds of area protesters took to downtown Cody to let all passersby know they do not want a king leading the country.

Organized by the Park County Democrat Party and Wyoming Rising for the second No Kings protest this year, protesters listened to prepared speeches and joined in impromptu songs before turning their attention to folks traveling through the county seat. There were a few counter-protesters, but other than jeering during speeches the protest was more of a love-fest. Even as cars passed, unhappy with the event, protesters responded with “thank you” to help keep from causing heated exchanges.

The success of the protest in the deep red community comes from frustration people from all walks of life are feeling, said Ann Pasek, chair of the Park County Democrats.

“Issues coming out of D.C. that are concerning are so great that it feels overwhelming,” she said. “People get frightened and discouraged. They’re frightened about their financial future. They’re frightened about their employment, especially if they’re federal employees. They’re worried the IRS isn’t going to function properly for lack of staff. They’re worried that Social Security isn’t going to operate like it should because of lack of staff. We just don’t feel that the guidance coming out of Washington, D.C., is concerned at all with the people who are in the middle and the bottom, it seems like they’re just looking at the 1% and the rest of us are not of interest,” she said in an interview prior to opening the protest.

There were 275 people who signed in at the protest and many who didn’t, Pasek said. The vast majority of those joining the protest were from Park County and the surrounding area.

“The only people not from Park County or the surrounding areas were a family of three who were visiting but wanted to join a protest,” Pasek said.

While the crowd size was similar to the first No Kings protest in June, most signs were calling for citizens to stand strong against authoritarianism or to save federal programs abandoned by the Trump administration. Wyoming Rising representative Renee Tafoya said the name “No Kings” is a direct reference to the American Revolution and a rejection of authoritarian rule.

“We came together to protest the policies and actions of the Donald Trump administration, in particular his tendency to act more like a monarch than an elected official,” she said in her speech. “He is sending the National Guard and military into cities to intimidate Americans. He’s using poorly trained and fully armed ICE agents to detain and disappear people — even U.S. citizens and veterans are being caught in his dragnet.”

Tafoya added her concerns that the administration is pushing the gerrymandering of voting districts in order to silence voters, changing rules about how and where to vote, is eliminating parts of the government, abusing power, and weakening Congress.

“This isn’t politics — Republican vs Democrat. It’s democracy versus dictatorship,” she said. “Across America people came out into the streets to say, loudly, that we don’t want to be ruled by someone who thinks he’s above the law. This republic is a representative democracy. Our elected officials need to hear us.”

After the speeches, they opened the microphone to anyone who had something to say. Two members of the crowd used song to help unite those in protest. Many joined in to sing “If I Had a Hammer” and “Cowboy Joe.”

While the Trump administration and some GOP officials labeled No Kings protests as the work of “violent left-wing radicals” and as a “hate America rally,” the rallies had surprisingly few acts of violence or arrests, according to national reports. In Denver, 12 people were arrested after the main rally, when a smaller group ignored police orders to disperse. There were no arrests reported in Billings.

There were approximately 2,700 individual protests across the country Saturday, an increase of about 900 rallies over the June 14 event. Organizers estimate that nearly 7 million people participated nationwide.

“Americans across the country of all stripes — Democrats, Republicans and independents — are pretty unhappy about [the Trump administration behaving more like dictators than elected officials] and this has always been a representative democracy. We demand representation, but we don’t feel like we’re getting it,” Tafoya said.

While the crowd was diverse in age, it appeared more protesters were Boomers rather than Gen Z. Glenn Borkenhagen of Cody carried a sign that read, “Nobody is paying me to exercise my right to protest.”

“I see how the separation of powers is being destroyed by taking over the role of Congress of spending [tax] money and belittling the judiciary in a return,” he said. “It has even caused the military officers with almost 40 years standing to resign because they feel the orders they’re expected to carry out are illegal.”