Originally published in the Eagle View’s print issue in October and online Oct. 30.

Across the nation, the “No Kings” protest held 2,700+ events in many parts of the country, including states such as Arkansas, California, Illinois, and in the U.S. capital of Washington D.C. Six members of the Eagle View staff were in the nation’s capital for a media conference and like other college students attending Media Fest 25, chose to cover the news event by reporting on the protest in DC. Many protesters attended for a variety of causes such as immigration, health care, and concerns against the current administration. The newspaper staff spoke to a couple of attendees and asked about their reasoning for marching that Saturday afternoon. 

On the protest’s organization website, www.nokings.org/, it’s stated “No Kings” is a peaceful movement working on uniting the country to fight dictatorship all together. “Our peaceful movement is only getting bigger. ‘No Kings’ is more than just a slogan; it is the foundation our nation was built upon. Born in the streets, shouted by millions, carried on posters and chants, it echoes from city blocks to rural town squares, uniting people across this country to fight dictatorship together,” reads some of the information on the website.

The movement had a protest over the summer of 2025, holding multiple protests across the country on June 14. That day aligned with the 250th anniversary of the U.S Army parade and President Donald Trump’s birthday. Although the organization hasn’t released any more information for any upcoming protest, they include a “What’s Next?” tab on their website providing protest attendees and other website visitors with resources regarding a person’s rights and ways to take action amidst the protest. 

Many other organizations were on the ground sharing their resources for guests and protesters on how they’re contributing to the causes of the protest. Free D.C. had a booth on the ground and had many representatives speaking to protesters and attendees sharing the cause for the “Free D.C.” organization. Raymond Telson, representative for Free D.C., spoke to the Eagle View team about the nonprofit group and how they stand for the citizens of D.C. focus on how to rely information for the people and how to protect themselves from the heightened law enforcement in Washington D.C. “Right now, we are focusing on educating the people on how to deal with police and law enforcement here in D.C.,” Telson said. 

It is reported that Oct. 18 nationwide protest brought in 7 million people to march in the streets for the causes they stand for. Two protesters at D.C’s “No Kings” spoke to the Eagle View team on what brought them out to the streets that Saturday. Eugene and Kay Brantley, a married couple based in D.C, spoke about how the protest is a good example of providing a sense of community with others who might share the same views. “We think of some of the same feelings and it’s about being together,” Brantley said. 

Not all the protesters in the nation’s capital were there to attend the No Kings rally as a group of several hundred marched near the White House in support of President Trump. Those protesters held signs of people who have passed due to fentanyl use while expressing loudly the phrase, “Biden poison is to blame.” 

For more content about the Eagle View team’s reporting of the “No Kings” protest in Washington D.C. on Oct. 18, visit the Eagle View’s website, https://nwacceagleview.com/ and the YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@nwacceagleview1464.

Explanatory Note: At the same time some journalism students were attending MediaFest in Washington, DC, a staff member on the Bentonville campus noticed a table for a new Turning Point chapter at NWACC and filed this story. The No Kings protest story and the Turning Point chapter story appeared on the same page in the October print edition of the Eagle View.

The story below was published in the October issue of the NWACC Eagle View and online Oct. 30.

Turning Point Turns to NWACC

National movement expands to NWACC, urging campus dialogue

By Jennifer Watson

Reporter

A new chapter of Turning Point USA has been established at NWACC. The organization, founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk and Bill Montgomery, promotes conservative and libertarian ideas on college campuses across the country. The group has faced criticism for its rhetoric and approach to campus activism, and Kirk’s death has reignited conversations about the group nationwide, with some questioning its influence while others call it a needed voice in politics.

Turning Point USA was approved as an official student organization at NWACC in early October 2025, and is led by President Andrea Francis, with Marc Turner, Performing Arts and Communication Chair, serving as the faculty sponsor. The group held its first tabling event on Oct. 16 in Bogle Plaza, handing out candy and sharing information about its goals and planned activities.

“A lot of us followed Charlie Kirk pretty closely, and we liked his debate style and how respectful the dialogue was,” said Ava Franco, Social Media Chair for the NWACC chapter. “So after he was assassinated, I think a lot of us felt very inclined to talk about things and get people talking again. So that’s what we’re trying to do here. We want people to talk again. We want to get back to the great foundation of what the country was started on, which I think is compromise.”

At the national level, Turning Point USA operates on hundreds of campuses and hosts large student conferences featuring conservative speakers. Over the years, some organizations and scholars have expressed concern about the group’s rhetoric and its impact on campus climates. A 2024 report by the Southern Poverty Law Center described Turning Point USA as part of “the hard right” and said its activities are often designed to “rile up divisions on campus.” In a separate Wired report, founder Charlie Kirk was criticized for remarks suggesting that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was “a mistake,” a statement that scholars said alienates students of color and others whose rights the law protects.

Locally, Franco said the NWACC chapter’s focus is on open discussion. “We want to encourage free speech, and get people involved, ideally,” she said. “We know that not everyone is going to agree with us, and actually that’s what we’re standing up for. We think everyone has the right to their own opinion and views.”

The group plans to start small, holding regular meetings and information tables. “We’re planning to do a lot of chapter meetings, which is when we get everyone together and we talk about current events or, you know, play fun little silly games to get people involved and informed,” Franco said. “We’re hoping to eventually get [a speaker], but since we are small-scale right now, the semester might just look a little different.”

Asked about the criticism directed at Turning Point USA nationally, Franco said, “We would encourage everyone to keep very respectful dialogues. Everyone has their own opinion, and that is what makes this country so great, that we all have that right. So we would encourage everyone to keep being respectful of one another.”

Students interested in learning more can find the group on Instagram at @turningpointusa_nwacc. “If you just want to come and sit in on a meeting, we’d love to have you and talk to you,” Franco said.