GUNTERSVILLE — For the second time, protesters in Guntersville appear to have violated multiple local ordinances with a “No Kings’ rally on the front steps of the Marshall County Courthouse.
Dressed in inflatable costumes and carrying large, anti-Trump signs, the protest attracted well over 100 demonstrators, glogging the sidewalk and slowing traffic in front of the courthouse, similar to the No Kings protest in June.
In addition to exceeding the crowd size limit of 30 people, protesters also posted at least one sign on county property, impeded entrance to the courthouse area, and Susan McKenney, the organizer and president of the local Marshall County Democrat Club, used sound amplification to shout directions and chants, all in violation of the county’s picketing rules.
McKenny and others lead the crowd in chants of “We want democracy,” “We want no kings,” "We hate Trump for free," and “No Trump, no ICE, No KKK, no racist USA.”
Many drivers on U.S. Highway 431, which runs through downtown Guntersville and past the courthouse, honked and shouted in apparent support of the protest, while others waved middle fingers and expressed their disdain.
McKenney announced at the start of the protest that she had been granted two permits: one for the courthouse plaza and one for the sidewalk.
“You are safe, despite what you may have heard from some of the opposition,” she said into a loudspeaker.
1819 News obtained a copy of one permit for the protest, but found no record of a second permit. Regardless, multiple permits would not excuse the apparent infractions.
(Photos by Daniel Taylor. Click to enlarge)
Deputies with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Guntersville Police Department were on scene in case of any issues. Sheriff Phil Sims said the event ended peacefully.
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