To the Editor:

On June 14, Indivisible Common Ground WNC and other progressive groups mobilized against the excesses of the Trump regime for “No Kings.” Since then, things have gotten worse. Free speech is being muzzled and the government is targeting immigrant families; profiling, arresting and detaining people without warrants, threatening to overtake elections and gutting health care and environmental protections.

Outside agitators continued their assault on the First Amendment in Sylva Aug. 24, as a small group of right-wing activists demonstrated against a private event in the Jackson County Public Library — demanding the government enforce their morality in public spaces by infringing on the liberty of others. 

To the Editor:

America’s founders rejected monarchy for a reason: no one should ever hold unchecked power. That’s why Indivisible and others rally under “No Kings,” because that principle is under direct assault.

On the five-year anniversary of the death of civil rights icon and longtime U.S. Congressman John Lewis, more than 170 people clad in black and white gathered on the steps of the Haywood County Historic Courthouse for a somber memorial that quickly turned into a powerful statement of resistance.

Since 1932, the ashlar veneer of the Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville has borne silent witness to memorable events in local and national history — the Great Depression, World War II, Korea, the Civil Rights era, Vietnam, 9/11, Afghanistan, the Gulf Wars and most recently the county’s first LGBTQ+ Pride celebration — but a gathering on Flag Day, the same day President Donald Trump celebrated his birthday with a military parade in Washington, D.C., may prove to be just as enduring. 

I get asked about it after every protest I’ve been to, from Andrews to Asheville, from Chicago to Washington, D.C., and everywhere in between. 

Rally attendance is one of the most debated aspects of any public gathering — be it left, right, center, secular or spiritual. At outdoor venues that don’t use ticketing and don’t have fences or walls to contain the crowds, estimates can be even more difficult. 

To The Editor:

Do you believe that our country deserves better than this current administration? Do you feel fearful, angry, hopeless or powerless at times? Do you wish there was something you could do to bring about positive change? Then come join your voices with ours on Saturday, June 14 at noon at the Haywood County Historic Courthouse for “Hands Off Haywood — No Kings Rally.” 

Two weeks after the Jackson County Commission floated a possible withdrawal from the Fontana Regional Library system, residents showed up to speak at the May 20 commission meeting for more than three and a half hours of public comment, with the majority voicing their opposition to withdrawal. 

To The Editor:

On April 5 over 1,000 American citizens showed up at the Haywood County historic courthouse to stand up for democracy and our Constitution. We were not “bussed” in and we most certainly weren’t paid to be there. Some folks would like you to believe that all the citi-zens that were there were not locals — hate to be the bearer of bad news, many were Haywood County natives.

Prior to its appropriation by communist regimes, International Workers Day — May Day — was first commemorated in honor of Chicago workers killed while striking for an eight-hour workday.