Just home from the No Kings protest in Hot Springs.

[TomSlick]

Bigger crowd than last despite the rain.

There was a group of MAGAts on top off the building across the street video recording the crowd. Folks just waived.

One counter protester who got tired of being ignored and left.

[Irish_Dem]

1. Tom what kind of police, ICE, National Guard, US military presence did you see?

Any snipers on rooftops?

[TomSlick]

2. HS PD and the National Park Police were present.

The PD "encouraged" a guy in a pickup with a big Trump flag to move along. The LEOs all simply watched. I thanked a couple of National Park Police for being there.

The only military presence was all the old guys wearing veteran's caps.

[Irish_Dem]

3. Very interesting.

Sounds like the local police were not going to let agitators escalate the situation.

I know there is a national park in HS, but park rangers do not have crowd control
training? Maybe they do. But they are not threatening?

I am surprised to hear old guys, vets, attending.

This is all much bigger than I thought.

[TomSlick]

4. The local LEOs were not going to let things get out of hand - good on them.

Much of downtown HS is in the National Park. We were in a park across a parking lot from the federal courthouse/post office and across the street from the National Park HQ.

I have no idea about the training for National Park Police. Then again, I have no idea about the crowd control training of the HS PD. Not much training was needed, just an exercise of good judgment.

The crowd was overwhelmingly older folks. I's say at least 75% of the folks there had Medicare cards in their pockets.

Of course vets were there. At some point we all took an oath to defend the constitution. That oath has no expiration date.

[Irish_Dem]

5. I agree.

Good on the local LEO. They were doing the right thing.

If things got out of control, Trump would send in the US military in a heartbeat.

Oh I see the National Park is right there. That would explain the park rangers.

Interesting the age of the crowd. I am glad to see the older folks out protesting.

Well some of the MAGA vets don't seem to remember the oath they took.