No crowd?

To the editor:

I was dismayed to see the way the No Kings rally March 28 in Marion was reported.

The photo that was used to report that “only a handful of protesters” showed only six people attending, was a serious misrepresentation of the actual number in attendance.

In reality, more than 33 people were there. I know because I was there, and I watched your photographer take dozens of photos. He was there quite a while, and took pictures from multiple angles and locations.

After contacting you about this, I was informed that he turned in five photos for you to choose from, each one of which only showed a few people in attendance.

The photos he chose to submit don’t tell the truth, and since no reporter came out to talk to us or see the event for themselves, even though we did notify your paper that we were holding the rally, I guess it all came down to how your photographer chose to represent the event.

We wish to thank the numerous people who drove past, honking and waving their support. They know how many of us were actually there.

Our community deserves to know the truth about our No Kings rally, and whoever drove past that morning knows how many were there and the enthusiasm we showed.

Unfortunately anyone who didn’t see it only has your paper’s representation that “only a handful of protesters gathered.” And that is sad.

David Yoder
Marion County Democrats

Editor’s note: Protesters were scattered in small groups, widely separated from each other. The caption was not intended to disparage turnout but rather to compare it to large turnouts elsewhere, which is why it began: “protests in some urban areas drew large numbers.”