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Those of you who read last week’s blog post know that I was in Houston to help my mother. While I was there, I attended the March 28 No Kings! rally that took place downtown in front of City Hall. I’m 3 or 3 for No Kings! and took part in the initial Hands Off! rallies last year as well, but this was my first to attend outside of New York City.

The New York City marches have been huge, ranging from about 30,000 for the Hands Off! ones last spring to more than 100,000 at the October No Kings! and the one last weekend that drew 9 million people worldwide. The area of the march is so crowded that there isn’t really anything to do but march the 20-30 blocks or wait to march. The thrilling part is seeing the vast crowds and supporters waving from buildings, and knowing that this march will be featured on social media and increasingly on mainstream media broadcasts. Of course, there are the creative signs to read along the way or photograph at the end.

The atmosphere in Houston was more laid back. The event was scheduled for four hours, most of which was a community festival involving speakers, booths from local activist groups, and art activities. Coinciding with the Bayou Arts Festival, it probably attracted 30,000 people dropping in for an hour or two. There was little media coverage. While the New York rally and the other large marches throughout the country and abroad (including the flagship march in Minneapolis) were designed to show broad resistance to the regime, the Houston No Kings! was more of a community-building event, designed to bring people together and establish networks of mutual support.

Talking to people at the Houston rally, I understood why this format is so important. In New York City, most of the people who attend these rallies feel safe getting there and taking part. We know that our mayor supports us and our governor and state legislature do what they can to protect our Constitutional rights of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. The NYPD has shown responsibility and restraint. On a broader level, we in New York City enjoy a lot of freedoms that the people of Texas do not have, including the freedom to read and reproductive rights. Our state and local governments do not see us as an enemy to be controlled and stifled.

While Houston has a large progressive community and the city generally votes Democratic, the people of the city do not enjoy the same rights and sense of safety and freedom. They are in many ways, under fire. If ICE paramilitaries start pinching people off the street — including U.S. citizens — they can’t count on their governor or mayor standing up for them. Their local police officers see them as the enemy. People of color, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ people are at the highest risk. Many of the people who attended the No Kings! wore rainbow colors and brought flags, and there were also many Black Houstonians in attendance. From the stage too far away for me to see the speakers, I heard them call on attendees at the rally to get to know the other people there, share information, and support each other. An attack on one person or group is an attack on all.

For my part, I shared information on getting around the Texas book bans that have made access to a broad range of literature difficult for people who like to read widely. My cousin, who arranged for me to meet her friends at the Harris County Democratic Party table because she couldn’t attend the event herself, told me earlier in the week that there were almost no bookstores left in Houston. And last year another friend gave me a tour of his local library branch. It was a beautiful space with meeting areas and a cafe — but almost no books! There weren’t many shelves, and the ones there were had huge gaps. Christian fiction dominated the adult selections. Maybe the other fiction titles had been checked out and these were all that were left. I told various people about Bookshop.org, through which they can buy books that may be banned or hard to get in the state, and about the program through Brooklyn Public Library, Books Unbanned, that allows young people ages 13-21 in book-banning states to check out ebooks that they can no longer access at their local school or library.

In return, I learned how people survive and continue their activism in places that are openly hostile to dissenters and freethinkers — basically, anyone who doesn’t fit the white male straight Christian nationalist mold. The No Kings! event in Houston was bright, joyful, friendly, and welcoming. I have the utmost respect and admiration for the brave people who fight for justice and freedom in places where repression is the norm and safety cannot be taken for granted.