In this KC-area town, protesters demand political change, week after week

For 28 weeks, a small, tenacious group of southern Johnson County residents have quietly stood at a prominent intersection in Gardner every Saturday holding signs expressing their emotions about the Trump administration policies and the changing climate of the country.

Not the blistering Kansas sun and heat, nor fierce winds, rain, snow or sub-zero temperatures have stopped the protesters from uniting at the corners of Main and Moonlight streets.

Some weeks there are four protesters. Other weeks there have been over 200 protesters. The crowd encompasses all areas of life from the elderly, retired, disabled and military veterans to community leaders and local political candidates to young children and teenagers with their parents. People have travelled from neighboring towns of Overland Park and Olathe or as far away as Ottawa and Paola to stand in solidarity together for two hours each week. Some of them have never protested before but felt called to now.

People laugh. People sing. People chant. People wave at the cars that pass by honking their horns in support. People smile. People continue to smile back at the cars that yell at them. People stand in silence.

And the signs change week to week depending on the prior days’ events.

“Countless people have told me over and over again how happy they are to see us out here,” organizer Aleksandra Nokes said. “We have grown into a community.”

Nokes has lived in Gardner for 25 years and been actively involved in various local community organizations over the years. She felt inspired to organize her first protest July 19 after attending a No Kings Protest in Lenexa the month prior.

“I was like, wait a minute,” Nokes said. “I think we need this type of visibility here. If I am going to be a part of a group that is protesting, I think it should be where I am at.”

Nokes focused her energy in “her own backyard” starting a private online group and watching her efforts grow as people continued to show up with their handmade signs. She sees the continued support as success.

“What has happened over time is we have a very strong group that shows up every week,” Nokes said. “We have people that are committed to standing there and showing others that we are peacefully protesting what is occurring in our country, and we don’t agree with it.”

Gardner and surrounding areas in southwest Johnson County have a conservative reputation, but Nokes said she had a feeling she had neighbors that also felt alone wondering if they had other like-minded neighbors.

One of those residents is Jan Pringle, who said Gardner has a strong base of residents that support liberal views “despite” the area’s Republican representation in local offices.

“There is a larger than previously realized population who are tired of being drowned out by MAGA,” Pringle said.

Gardner resident Christina Hodges said she commended Nokes for standing at the corner of Main and Moonlight streets every week. The two met at a local school board meeting in 2022 to advocate against a policy requiring transgender students to go by their names on their birth certificates.

“No matter the cold, the hostility, the rhetoric,” Hodges said. “She is truly someone who has determination to stand up for what is right and to protect people from all walks of life. Her actions exemplify the best of community service and allyship.”

Former USD 231 school board member Kristen Schultz said she has been humbled by the older protesters and their regular participation at the protests she has attended.

“I have stood beside an 82-year-old woman while an angry man called her a retard over and over,” Schultz said. “I have watched a Vietnam veteran protesting for the very freedoms he once fought for, be flipped off and deliberately harassed by passing drivers.”

Schultz said none of the things she has witnessed at the protests will stop shocking her.

“This is no longer about policy disagreements,” Schultz said. “Somewhere along the way we crossed a line where people began to feel justified in intimidating elderly women and disrespecting the First Amendment rights of even our veterans. This should alarm all of us.”

Nokes is determined to keep the protest calm and peaceful. A few hiccups with aggressive counterprotests have occurred along the way involving Gardner police officers to step in at times, but Nokes said the group tries to keep a joyful, safe atmosphere that doesn’t engage with others yelling in their faces.

“We are not there to argue or debate with counter protestors,” Nokes said. “It is our First Amendment right to protest. Counterprotesters also have a First Amendment right. The issue comes in when they become aggressive and are yelling in our faces. We do not engage, but it can make it uncomfortable. My first priority is safety.”

Nokes said she didn’t start the group to change minds, “as everyone has opinions and beliefs,” but to build a community in Gardner who stood for justice, dignity and democracy while connecting and supporting each other.

The support efforts have been illustrated through various means outside weekly protests including food drives, a book club, writing to legislators and sign-making events. Nokes said she isn’t sure if the group will completely stop protesting, noting activism is a long game.

“A lot of things will have to change,” Nokes said. “We are focused on human rights, democracy and community care. Silence allows harm to continue, and I think visibility is a form of protection and solidarity. Democracy requires participation.”