Note: The following came in from a Wyoming 8th-grader. While we attempt to share work that reflects the WDP platform, you may come across some words that are not exactly what WDP would have written. Perhaps you will agree with and value what you read below, perhaps not. Your mileage may vary. -ed.
This letter originally appeared as a speech at a rally then as a LTE to The Sheridan Press on April 23, 2026. Support your local news media! -ed.
On March 28, I spoke at our No Kings rally here in Sheridan. People have suggested I share that speech as a letter to the editor. In less than a month since the rally, these concerns have only increased each day with our country’s leadership. It is alarming. Our president continues to pull our country down with him every single day. There are those who don’t understand what is meant by “No Kings.”
This speech explains how I feel:
When we say “no kings,” it’s not a slogan. It’s a boundary. This country was founded on the rejection of unchecked power. We broke away from a monarchy because we believed no one should rule without accountability. That idea is not outdated. It is the foundation of everything we claim to stand for. and yet, here we are, watching leaders test how far they can push the limits. Watching the people who are running our country not care about anyone else except for their own egos. Watching power stretch and stretch, as if the rules are optional. As if the law is flexible depending on who you are. “No Kings” means no one is above the constitution.
Not presidents.
Not agencies.
Not billionaires.
Not anyone who thinks authority, money, or power gives them immunity. It means we do not accept fear as a governing strategy. We do not accept communities being targeted to prove a political point. We do not accept families living in anxiety because enforcement becomes spectacle instead of justice.
It is very sad that my friends and I have to speak up because we are scared of what will happen next. Will Trump start more wars? Will our government continue to hide the Epstein files? Will the government continue to argue and argue while people are losing their jobs? I should be able to be live out my childhood without fear of our president’s decisions affecting us even more.
A democracy does not need displays of force to prove its strength. It proves its strength through fairness. Through due process. Through equal protection under the law. And I’m young, but I’m paying attention. This is the country my generation will have to clean up when it’s our turn. We are the ones who will live with the consequences of what leaders normalize today. So yes, I care. and yes, I’m speaking. Real leadership does not demand loyalty. It earns trust. We are not here because we hate America. We are here because we believe in it enough to hold it to its own promises. Because once we normalize the idea that one person, or one administration, can operate beyond accountability, we are no longer talking about democracy. We are talking about power for power’s sake. And history is very clear about where that road leads. So we stand here calmly. Clearly. Without rage, but without hesitation.
No kings.
No crowns.
No one above the law.
This country belongs to the people — all of them.
And we intend to keep it that way.
Thor Brandjord, eighth grade student
Sheridan