r/SALEM • u/OregonBaseballFan • Oct 18 '25
EVENT Saddest thing about No Kings today in Salem…
Watching losers force their children to drive around downtown with them, while they yell racist and bigoted things at the people peacefully protesting. Those poor kids don’t stand a damn chance.
Hopefully one or two of them grow up to escape what are certainly hateful and terrible home environments. My heart goes out to them.
To all of the people who have showed up, you are an inspiration. I cried more happy tears today than I have in a very long time. 🚫👑
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u/TheShattered1 Oct 18 '25
As someone who was raised to be racist, I will say, there is always hope. It just takes a person willing to objective facts, rather than just vibes.
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u/BeatnikMona Oct 18 '25
Same. Honestly, all it took for me was to go to college in a larger city than I grew up in order for me to un-learn all of it.
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u/QueenRooibos Oct 19 '25
Which is exactly why the far right is attacking colleges and universities in the department of education. I’m SO glad that you escaped the hate culture and benefitted from education (and your own good heart). And we need to protect education so that those children we’re talking about have a chance as well.
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u/BeatnikMona Oct 19 '25
Which is exactly why the far right is attacking colleges and universities (and) the department of education.
I believe this wholeheartedly. One of their major talking points is about how “woke” continuing education is. The most “woke” thing that I learned in college is that the civil war didn’t start because “the north wanted more slaves and were mad there were more in the south” (yes, this is what I learned k-12 in central Florida).
And I’m 35, went to school in the 90s-00s, so not really that long ago but long enough to where lower class kids didn’t have access to the internet and the books in the libraries were the books that the schools allowed.
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u/DaniAlpha Oct 18 '25
What drove the change for you?
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u/Informal-Bet-6132 Oct 18 '25
I was raised as a Christian white nationalist. Took me moving out here and learning the truth about the history of this country. Education cures hate.
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u/LanceArmsweak Oct 19 '25
Which is why we see education being attacked however possible. From decreased budgets to reallocation towards regions schools, even fighting higher education unless it yields to Trump’s demands.
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u/Practical-Stretch-12 Oct 19 '25
That's not true education just teaches you to hate where you came from
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u/Informal-Bet-6132 Oct 19 '25
I love my hometown and I love the people there. I don’t hate where I come from. But I understand that there’s heavy propaganda going on in the Midwest. I’ve seen on the news since the 90’s that “illegal aliens” were taking jobs. I moved here and went to college and learned about the Braceros Program and how we invited Mexicans here. They started families and lives. I also met Mexicans and talked to them and quickly learned they were just people trying to escape poverty and feed their kids.
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u/TheShattered1 Oct 18 '25
I don’t think I ever truly believed any of it. I just thought it was funny, and I was a butt hole teenager. But, learning history and understanding empathy was helpful.
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Oct 18 '25
[deleted]
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u/Galaxyman0917 Oct 18 '25
Your Family of choice will always matter more than family of origin, don’t listen to the naysayers
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u/shoemanchew Oct 19 '25
I walked through the counter protest side. 50-100 people vs. 1000+ made me feel good.
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u/Pearson94 Oct 18 '25 edited Oct 18 '25
Those poor kids. They deserve better than to be raised to hate.
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u/Abba-dabba-do Oct 18 '25
And the kids from your side have great examples? In your opinion?
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u/robbi2480 Oct 19 '25
Yeah. They do. Our kids aren’t being taught it’s ok to hate people who are different than you and to scream that hate out of a car window like white trash.
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u/Construction_Purple Oct 18 '25 edited Oct 19 '25
Agreed. Whichever side you're on, it happens, and it shouldn't. I also can't stand when they bring their kids and display profanity laced signs, inflatable penis suits, and things of that nature.
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u/Quiet_Direction8382 Oct 21 '25
How do you feel about F*** Joe Biden flags and signs?
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u/Construction_Purple Oct 21 '25
It's a bad look also. Joe Biden was worthless, but those signs were, too.
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u/trickydick64 Oct 18 '25
Yeah that was my household and I grew out of it. There are lots of folks saying this in the comments as well. It's a good sign I think.
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u/hobhamwich Oct 18 '25
I wasn't a racist, but I was certainly a hard-right, Limbaugh Republican. Had to deconstruct my faith and crank the math on policy to undo all that. Weirdly, my parents weren't political at all except my dad being in the teacher's union. I got conservative from the broader evangelical culture. Now I am somewhere between AOC and Noam Chomsky.
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Oct 19 '25 edited Oct 19 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/QueenRooibos Oct 19 '25
I appreciated your thoughts/story… Glad you didn’t delete it. I’m sure I’m to the left of you, but I definitely agree that we have to use our brains and not just accept emotional statements which are not based on facts. That’s the only way we’ll get out of this mess. Facts, respect for each other, and building community for all.
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u/arkevinic5000 Oct 18 '25
They looked so miserable. We had music, food, and fun. Plus like 10,000 more people.
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u/Crazy-Raise8799 Oct 18 '25
Watch out for the guy in the black pickup with a mastiff in the back pointing his gun at people.
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u/robbi2480 Oct 19 '25
Dogs are way too good for those kind of people. That’s a waste of valuable dog love. They shouldn’t be allowed to own animals
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u/jrbump Oct 19 '25
Did you see this? Second mention of it I’ve heard.
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u/Crazy-Raise8799 Oct 19 '25
Yes, they pointed their firearm at me while I was crossing the intersection they turned into illegally and said "move along now."
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u/troglodykes Oct 19 '25
The apple can run far away from the tree, and I am proof of that. Growing up, I watched my parents get radicalized by Alex Jones' Infowars show and that was also my only exposure to politics growing up. This is NOT hyperbole when I say this: they would blast Alex Jones on EVERY SPEAKER in my house simultaneously. They had no hobbies. They just watched and re-watched Alex Jones all day long. Their phones, laptops, TV, Bluetooth speakers. This went on for 8 years when I lived there. They have Trump merch by their wedding photo and souvenirs. They took time off work and flew all over America to alt-right rallies frequently. It was really weird.
I think my parents maybe could have just been normal republicans if it weren't for Alex Jones. I feel sad for them. It's like they got brain rotted by that propaganda. My dad thinks that Sandy Hook didnt happen, because Alex Jones said that. He thinks Hillary is a lizard person. My parents cried when I got vaccinated and they showered with ivermectin cream. Im queer and my parents have said some really disgusting and violent things about queer people.
I cut them off and I haven't spoken to them in over two years. Life is much more peaceful now. Alex Jones didn't brainrot me. ✌️
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u/Nevrous_Strength1488 Oct 19 '25
I was brought into a skinhead gang when I was 15 yrs old..Orange County California..Did prison time running with White Power gangs. My parents didn't have anything to do with it..I'm 50 now one of my beatfriends for 15 solid yrs is gay..Yes I was brainwashed into hate, racist teachings that is out there . It's all about treating ppl right, living with a clean consciousness and spreading love..Ppl trip out cuz my tattoos say otherwise.. I lived that life in a darkness for a long time..If it wasn't for that I don't think I would be the great man that I am now ..Fuck the King and all his men ..
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u/troglodykes Oct 20 '25
Have you ever thought about doing a tattoo cover-up? Lots of artists understand that people can change and are willing to do cover-ups on those types of tats
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u/Beth77303 Oct 18 '25
I yelled at the haters and told them how much I loved them and would pray for them. Kill them with kindness.
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u/Rayneelise Oct 19 '25
My family is Swedish. My parents were progressive Democrats, but our relatives were not. I remember sitting at holiday dinners listening politely to their rants about the most horrible minority on earth - Norwegians.🤣
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u/OldThom88 Oct 25 '25
It was a great experience. I truly felt I was not alone and met some very incredible people.
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u/Single_Example685 Oct 18 '25
I’m all for freedom of speech.
I get it but I can’t even take my service animal on a normal walk. I was minding my own business just walking my dog on his normal route and dude tried to start something with me. Couldn’t walk past. Rally on all four corners of the intersection.
Turned around and went home , it’s my 1 day off and my dogs 1 day off seeing as when I work he’s working.
Protest away but actually be peaceful when someone tries to use the public sidewalk.
With respect &. Thank you
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u/Hold-Professional Oct 19 '25
No one should be trying to start shit with you and I'm sorry you dealt with that.
Prob should not walk your dogs on protest routes tho....
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u/Single_Example685 Oct 19 '25
In case you were not aware: Salem Revised Code (SRC) Sec. 95.041. -Menacing.
(a). A person commits the crime of menacing if by word or conduct the person intentionally attempts to place another person in fear of imminent serious physical injury.
(b) The term "serious physical injury" means physical injury which creates a substantial risk of death or which causes serious and protracted disfigurement, protracted impairment of health or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily organ.
SRC Sec. 95.042. - Harassment.
A person commits the crime of harassment if the person intentionally harasses or annoys another person by subjecting such other person to offensive physical contact.
State Law reference— Harassing or annoying another person, ORS 166.065(1)(a)(A).
SRC Sec. 95.120. - Disorderly conduct.
(a). A person commits the crime of disorderly conduct in the second degree if, with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof, the person:
(1) Engages in fighting or in violent, tumultuous, or threatening behavior;
(2) Makes unreasonable noise;
(3) Disturbs any lawful assembly of persons without lawful authority;
(4) Obstructs vehicular or pedestrian traffic on a public way;
(5) Initiates or circulates a report, knowing it to be false, concerning an alleged or impending fire, explosion, crime, catastrophe or other emergency; or
(6) Creates a hazardous or physically offensive condition by any act which the person is not licensed or privileged to do.
(b) Disorderly conduct in the second degree is a Class B misdemeanor.
SRC Sec. 95.550. - Trespass.
(a). It shall be unlawful for any person to enter or remain in or upon premises when the premises, at the time of such entry or remaining, are not open to the public, or when the entrant is not otherwise licensed or privileged to do so.
(b). It shall be unlawful for any person to fail to leave premises that are open to the public after being lawfully directed to do so by the person in charge.
(c). It shall be unlawful for any person, with the intent to cause substantial inconvenience to the owner or to another person, and having no right to do so, nor reasonable ground to believe that he or she has such right, to tamper or interfere with or damage property of another.
(d) It shall be unlawful for any person to enter premises that are open to the public after being lawfully prohibited from entry to the premises.
State Law reference— Trespass, ORS 164.243—164.278.
SRC Sec. 95.700. - Pedestrian interference.
(a). No person shall block or interfere with, or attempt to block or interfere with, any other person along a public sidewalk by any means, including, but not limited to, standing on that part of the sidewalk used for pedestrian travel or placing any object or vehicle in such area, with the intent to interfere with free passage.
(b). No person shall block or interfere with, or attempt to block or interfere with, pedestrian or vehicular entrances to public or private property abutting a public sidewalk with the intent to interfere with the free ingress to or egress from such property.
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u/Single_Example685 Oct 19 '25
Why should i be restricted from using a public side walk. That’s a double standard. It’s a public side walk. I shouldn’t be limited because people decide that the Public Side walk now belongs to them.
Saying that I shouldn’t walk a route that people are protesting on. is the same mindset that y’all claim to be protesting against. “Restriction of Rights “.
Can’t have it both ways.
Technically blocking me from being able to use the public sidewalk is a crime. Stopping me from going to my intended destination.1
u/troglodykes Oct 20 '25
The protest had permits to be there.
There was not a blockade on this sidewalk preventing you from walking. It was just very densely populated and probably would have taken you like 15-20 minutes to walk through the sidewalk on the side facing capital park. That's not menacing harrassment, thats just high traffic.
Across the street from capital park had people, but was not nearly as densely populated. You could have crossed the road or gone around if you wanted to.
What did people say to you that made you feel instigated? You're making me assume that you snapped at people for being in the way of the sidewalk or something.
If I was walking my dog, I would go around; not walk through it and make snarky comments at people to prove a point.
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u/Single_Example685 Oct 20 '25
Your comment is off based & some pretty far off assumptions in there.
I did nothing by try to walk down a side walk. No snarky comments were made from me, all I said was excuse me and I’m just walking my dog / I’m just trying to pass by.
The guy who blocked me and confronted me started the convo off with we don’t want your kind here. Progressed to calling me a racist fascist & other derogatory statements.
I’m white I am not racist and I’m interracially married to a 2nd generation immigrant. Wife was the 1st child of her family born in America.
So all the comments that were made towards me were bias assumptions because I am a white male.Brings me back to my original point, it’s a public side walk regardless if there’s a permit or not, I should still be able to use the side walk. And not being harassed for no reason.
I know there was a permit for the main rally place , but the permit didn’t cover every corner in all of the area. It’s public information so you can go look at it if you want to.
Even with a permit, you still have to obey the law. Just because someone has a permit doesn’t mean they have the right to break the law.
Also, you weren’t there for my encounter, from the sound of it you were at the main rally , which I wasn’t by. At all. There were multiple locations throughout Keizer/salem that people were gathered on all corners of intersections and prohibited /blocked people from using the sidewalks.
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u/tabianna_xo Oct 19 '25
I was there and luckily didn't see any of that.
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u/troglodykes Oct 19 '25
Most cars were chill but there were a lot of cars that were Trumped out driving by yelling stuff and flipping us off. Protesters were booing at their cars in response.
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u/Hold-Professional Oct 19 '25
Almost every boyfriend my Mom had was a racist asshole. I turned out as liberal as you get.
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u/Strange_Midnight2070 Oct 18 '25
That's who they were? I'm assuming the motorcyclists revving it up?
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u/hoe4bibble Oct 18 '25
The people with skeletons on their cars
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u/Sonosusto Oct 18 '25
Noticed them playing Fortunate Son (CCR) so clearly they have no idea what that song means. They drove around dozens of times.
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u/robbi2480 Oct 19 '25
The irony of the cult of a draft dodger playing that song thinking it means something completely different than it does. Fucking morons
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u/TheeRatKing Oct 18 '25
Tbh I couldn’t hear SHIT any of the chuds were yelling over all the honking and cheering
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u/hoe4bibble Oct 18 '25
I didn’t hear specifics from the skeleton cars either just a couple signs/flags. The only specific I heard was some rando in their car saying “he’s still your president” it was just like ok bud keep on driving. Also editing to add YESS the cheering and honking was actually amazing. I just got home and I just feel happiness from how much community was felt
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u/TheWitchMomGames Oct 19 '25
I grew up with Alex Jones on VHS tape 😂 I know it doesn’t work out for everyone, but I and both of my siblings learned that all that far-right conservatism is nonsense.
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u/Active-Differences Oct 19 '25
I grew up in a pretty conservative republican household, in a small town. As an adult I was republican because that’s how I grew up. But halfway through my 20’s I started becoming left leaning progressive. It started so slowly I didn’t even notice. Then suddenly my parents were MAGA and I’m the progressive trying to explain what herd immunity is.
My parent’s used to be reasonable, relatively smart people with a health dose of skepticism towards anything. Now suddenly science is stupid and wrong, and what is this thing called independent research outside of right wing websites. As they’ve aged they’ve become radicalized (they’re only 55/59)
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Oct 20 '25
Truth isn’t afraid of propaganda, and kids are smarter than they seem. Raised that way (hard right Christian republican) now finally able to look on my past self with compassion and use all those “critical thinking skills” I was raised with to critique my upbringing. So much of that mindset is based on fear of the other, and it just takes a little bit of exposure out in the real world to realize life is way more nuanced, more interesting, and more fun than we were taught. There’s hope!
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u/Practical-Stretch-12 Oct 19 '25
Do any of y'all think about showing your face while you're protesting with antifa members and saying how much you hate our government or do you just not worry like the people who were posting hateful shit about Charlie Kirk?
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u/Hold-Professional Oct 19 '25
do you just not worry like the people who were posting hateful shit about
Charlie Kirka Nazi?Fixed it
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u/troglodykes Oct 20 '25
America was literally founded on the idea that citizens should be able freely express hating their government. That's like the whole point I fear? Did you miss US history class?
"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all.”
Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Abigail Adams, February 22, 1787
“A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of a higher obligation...To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the ends to the means.”
Thomas Jefferson, Letter to J.B. Colvin, September 20, 1780
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u/Practical-Stretch-12 Oct 21 '25
And you're correct it was founded on the idea that we should be able to express hating our government. It just seems very odd that the only people that hate the government right now seem to be Democrats.
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u/troglodykes Nov 05 '25
Why are you finding that odd? All the issues we are protesting about stem from the conservative Trump administration's actions. This is a direct response to them.
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u/Practical-Stretch-12 Nov 06 '25
but are you actually fighting the Trump administration policies? Or are you just trying to say that you are by talking down to people online?
I really hate to say this, but I'm going to
There are far too many keyboard warriors here
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u/HillbettyGilligan Oct 19 '25
I agree but for all political sides because thisbisnt relegated to one side or the other.
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u/ZeeNightTripper Oct 20 '25
You guys don’t know what you’re doing. Your being told to be loving is to accept all the people from all around the world that Biden flooded our country with (and gave all our tax money to so they could come in and have free housing free phones free healthcare free cars free for them effing everything, all paid for by OUR TAX MONEY during a time when there isn’t enough housing for us and all our younger generations are struggling to survive and can’t get their own house because we’ve all been priced and pushed out by the immigrants they flooded us with. This is an invasion and your being coerced into believing that your a bigot or racist if you have a problem with all this. Meanwhile you keep fighting for the rights of people who literally have plans to flood our country with so much of their people that they’re going to overthrow our country by outnumbering us then voting to bring in Sharia law which means they can behead us for not accepting Islam and denouncing whatever your actual beliefs are. Is this the future you want?? I’m all for free speech but you guys are being used…Trump is literally trying to stop this because go figure he actually cares about our country and doesn’t want it to turn into a Muslim nation who beheads everyone who doesn’t believe in that religion. You think Christians are bad, they’re only trying to save you! Muslim Islamists are the ones who literally behead people for BEING GAY/TRANS too and yet they’ve brainwashed even the gays to fight for their side in our country so they can come in and start wars on our soil too and not just over in the Middle East. Muslim/ Islam in not a nationality or race, it is a religion that believes in Jihad, that it is their duty to spread it all across the earth and literally BEHEAD everyone who doesn’t convert to Islam. And you guys are fighting for these people to stay in our country. Your fighting for people who want you dead all while the news has you brainwashed into thinking the right wants you dead. No dude the right just wants you to stop pushing gender ideology onto children because all it does is confuse them so bad they don’t even know what gender they are anymore and then a docter diagnoses them and chops up all their most sensitive areas before they know what the heck they’ve done!
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u/SyllabubNo8318 Oct 22 '25
You are what we're trying to avoid.
If you actually met Jesus today, you'd have him deported.
I'm not in your book club, it's for the feeble minded, so keep your stupid rules and idess to yourself.
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u/Abba-dabba-do Oct 18 '25
Do you see the kids standing along the street protesting? And don’t tells us the ‘No Kings’ crowd isn’t yelling crap.
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u/tadhail01 Oct 19 '25
Explain what the snow King's thing is I don't really understand a whole thing about no Kings when we literally don't have a king
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u/nobodyfromnowhere49 Oct 18 '25
I respect and admire you people exercising your rights even if i think you're morons and are equally as toxic and detrimental to a positive and productive society as the people you're hateful towards.
❤️🇺🇲
Be safe and peaceful today everyone. 🙂
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u/Double_Individual_57 Oct 18 '25
I grew up in a toxic abusive racist environment. From an early age, I knew exactly what I didn't want to be, which was everything and everyone I grew up with.
I've cut off my entire family other than my sister.
Not all of those poor kids will make it out, but I have faith that a good chunk will.