No Kings Protest in Trump Country Southwestern New York State
Orin Langelle | Jamestown, Chautauqua County, NY, United States
Organization: Langelle Photography
Photographer: Orin Langelle
Organization: Langelle Photography
Exhibit Title: No Kings Protest in Trump Country Southwestern New York State
Location: Jamestown, Chautauqua County, NY, United States
This photo essay documents the No Kings Rally held on Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Jamestown, a small but politically significant city in southwestern New York State. Part of a nationwide day of protest spanning over 2,000 cities and towns across the United States. The event in Jamestown was organized by the Jamestown Justice Coalition and drew between four and five hundred people, a diverse crowd of citizens voicing their dissent against the Trump administration. Although Chautauqua County—bordering Lake Erie, Pennsylvania, and Cattaraugus County—has been a Republican stronghold, with overwhelming support for Donald Trump in both the 2016 and 2024 elections, signs of political discontent are growing. Demonstrations also took place in the nearby cities of Dunkirk and Fredonia, underscoring a regional movement of growing political dissent. Through these photographs, the essay captures the tensions, opinions and visual symbols of a deeply divided America.
Thanks to Anne Petermann who helped me at the event and helped edit this photo essay
Since 1972, I’ve worked as a conflict photographer, documenting the human and ecological cost of division and upheaval around the world. Today, I live in Cattaraugus County, New York—bordering Chautauqua County—a region that could be called "Trump Country." Jamestown, the largest city in the area, became the backdrop for this photo essay.
When I went to Jamestown to photograph the No Kings event there, I expected there would be many counter-protesters in attendance. I was wrong. There were maybe a dozen. Around four hundred to 500 people, however, came out in a steady rain to show their dissent with the Trump administration. There was no conflict fortunately. There wasn’t even a visible show of police.
Most people in attendance seemed to be in a celebratory mood, but serious in their determination to have their voices heard
We live in a deeply divided nation. These photographs capture one day in a small American city—one moment of resistance— in a place where such expressions are not always expected in “Trump Country.”
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