Hundreds in Newberg join in ‘No Kings’ protest

Protesters gather around town’s flag pole to contest the actions of the Trump administration

More than 300 people in Newberg joined the hundreds of thousands of others across the nation Saturday, June 14, in the “No Kings” protest against Donald Trump, his presidency and his actions.

The Newberg contingent gathered at noon around the town’s large flagpole at the intersection of First and River streets, carrying signs, shouting slogans and demonstrating their distaste for Trump’s directives, including his efforts to deport millions of undocumented individuals living and working in America.

Included in those signs were demands for the release of Moises Sotelo, a Newberg business owner who was seized by federal immigration authorities when leaving his home June 12. Although Sotelo’s daughter determined that he was transported to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Portland, his current location and fate is unknown.

The hundreds of signs created for the rally weren’t limited to protests against ICE’s actions, but ranged from Pride flags to environmental concerns and support of Ukraine, all topics that have been flashpoints under the Trump administration.

The message of the throng in Newberg, which stretched east and west several blocks and was two- or three-people deep, seemed to resonate with the passersby on the way to the coast or to Portland. Cars honked in agreement with the protesters and, surprisingly in a conservative county that voted for President Donald Trump, detractors were few. Some motorists greeted the protesters with thumbs down gestures, while one man carried a tall staff with pro-Trump and American flags attached.

Anne Mildenberger, who has been organizing rallies in Newberg since Trump’s inauguration in January, said the “No Kings” effort was different.

“I look around and I see all of this conservative population that we thought was conservative here supporting their neighbors,” she told Oregon Public Broadcasting, a news partner of this publication. “And there’s something about this kind of support that lets you know that you’re not alone.”

Bubba King, voted to fill a spot on the Yamhill County Board of Commissioners last fall, participated in the protest and commented that the crackdown on immigration is an issue that crosses party lines.

“There are Republicans that care about this and understand that these are our neighbors. These are our friends. Our kids go to school with their kids,” King told OPB. “My grandparents were Hispanic, and this is something that they fought a long time ago so that I wouldn’t have to. As an elected official I want to show my support, no matter what it takes.”

Tim Olmstead, a 47-year resident of Newberg, said he felt compelled to craft a sign for the local protest calling on Trump to obey his oath of office.

“I’m tired of our president ignoring the constitution, and I’m tired of him – it’s a sustained process of him usurping by flooding the media, flooding everything, with stuff all the time,” he said. “It’s unconstitutional and, you know, there’s a sign down there that I created that really gets to the point. Somebody asked him, ‘Mr. President, do you want to abide or honor the Constitution and he said, ‘I don’t know, I’m not a lawyer.’ I think that says an awful lot.”

As an example, Olmstead pointed out that the president did not rest his hand on the Bible when he was sworn into office in January.

“I didn’t know that until three or four people (here) told me that. It’s just … it’s just not right. You got to stand up,” Olmstead said.