The Lorax, the Wicked Witch of the West and a plethora of inflatable animals filled downtown Ocala Saturday morning as part of a string of nationwide “No Kings 2.0” protests.
More than 2,500 similar demonstrations were scheduled across the country. About 5 million people nationwide took part in the first No Kings Day of protests in June.
Ocala’s demonstration was organized by activist groups Ocala Blue Dots, Central Florida Peace and Justice, Ocala for Democracy and Marion County Young Democrats, among other organizations.
Event organizers estimate about 1,100 protesters filled Ocala’s Historic Downtown Square, waving American flags and homemade signs with messages like, “Trump is a murderer” and “Make America think again.” Some people banged on drums, while others strummed ukuleles or danced along to K-pop.
“We the people have had enough,” the chorus of protesters chanted.
Passing cars honked horns in support. A few trucks decked in American flags and a wrap of an image of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk circled the block, eliciting shouts of disagreement from the protesters.
Vanessa Ojeda spent her 26th birthday at the protest astride her mule, Chica. Sporting a “Read banned books” shirt, she surveyed the crowd from the saddle and waved a bright yellow “Do not tread on me” flag. Its characteristic snake was coiled into the shape of a uterus.
Known as “Mule Woman” on Instagram and Facebook, Ojeda said she uses her platform to talk about both horsemanship and politics.
“F*ck Trump, f*ck ICE, free Palestine,” she wrote in an Oct. 1 Instagram post. “Y’all don’t know who you’re messing with.”
Unfazed by the raucous chanting and honking of passing cars, Chica the mule seemed to savor her celebrity status, posing for photos and welcoming pats on the nose.
Edward C. Wiley, a 28-year-old Ocklawaha resident, wore an orange body suit and yellow faux facial hair. He was dressed as the Lorax, a decision he said was inspired by Portland’s ongoing protest against ICE.
Portland’s demonstration has been characterized by mascots like the viral “Portland Freedom Frog” and other costumed demonstrators. A Portland group recently launched Operation Inflation, which provides free costumes to community members to wear at protests, to defy recent statements by President Donald Trump that the city is “war-ravaged.”
Gimmicky costumes make peaceful protests appear less threatening, Wiley said.
“Do I look dangerous?” he said. “Do I look like I’m militarized? I’m the Lorax.”
Holding a quilted banner that read “No kings” on one side and an image of the Portland Frog with the word “Resist” on the other, Wiley said he attended Saturday’s protest because he could no longer stay silent about the problems he’s witnessed.
“I’m tired of this country being the way it is,” he said. “This isn’t the land of the free; it’s the land of the oppressed.”
Wiley, who served in the military to afford tuition, said he disagreed with how the military is advertised and how taxpayer money is spent. No one should have to choose between a mortgage payment and chemotherapy, he said.
“None of this is by the people or for the people anymore,” he said.
Joann Scholz, 61, wore an inflatable pink rabbit costume.
Scholz, who comes from a long line of veterans, said the country she fought for isn’t the one she sees now.
“People are dying for no reason at all,” she said. “It’s not America.”
Scholz said protesting is about spreading awareness and ensuring her voice is heard.
“I hope it wakes people up to what’s going on in the country,” Scholz said. “Listen to the people who are out here every day.”
At around 10 a.m., groups like Open Carry Florida and local gun shop GPS Guns and Ammo began to set up for an open carry supporters barbecue. Florida’s open carry law went into effect on Sept. 25, which means anyone can carry an unconcealed legally owned gun. Open carry can no longer be prohibited in any place where government property is open to the public and unrestricted, like Ocala’s Historic Downtown Square.
Verbal jabs were exchanged between people at the No Kings rally and the new arrivals as gun-clad eventgoers began to trickle in wearing “Make America Great Again” hats and Turning Point USA shirts. No altercations were reported at the protest by the time it dissipated shortly after 11 a.m.