Community groups in Omaha are preparing for a rally at Turner Park on October 18, bringing together organizations like 50501, Indivisible Nebraska, and Blue Dot Nebraska for what organizers say will focus on mutual aid and community building.
The event follows a June march where thousands gathered in Council Bluffs and marched into Omaha for No Kings Day. This time, organizers are taking a different approach.
"This one is going to be a little different. We're going for more of a mutual aid focus. We're inviting a lot of local nonprofits to the table and trying to connect people with different ways they can be involved," said Colin Cassard, who helps organize with 50501.
Cassard, who lives in Omaha but is originally from Portland, emphasized the community-building aspect of the rally.
"The rallies, the big focus is on the community building. I think that having some of these fun things, having some of the costumes, whether it's the singing grannies or frogs or whatever, is all great towards that goal," Cassard said.
Inflatable Frog Costumes Become National Phenomenon
The protests have gained national attention partly due to inflatable frog costumes worn by participants from Portland to Chicago. These costumes have become sold out at Spirit Halloween stores not just in Omaha, but across the U.S., according to their website.
Professor Emeritus, University of Nebraska, Jeremy Lipschultz, says the costumes serve multiple purposes beyond being an online trend.
"Yeah, I think there is a lightheartedness about it, a humor, uh, aspect to it. I think that people are looking to, um, do a lot of things in terms of the functioning of it and the meaning of it, right? I mean the, the frog was politicized on the right with the Pepe the Frog movement and I think in some ways this is a response to that on the left," Lipschultz said.
The costumes also serve practical purposes for protesters.
"It's a way to sort of claim a stand as being nonviolent and peaceful. But at the same time, it has some functionality in that regard, because if you're all covered up, you might be less likely to succumb to the pepper spray," Lipcshultz said.
Data pulled by Lipschultz shows the costumes' reach extends into the billions across the internet, with mentions skyrocketing since late September.
"I think what's really interesting here is, you know, we really didn't see any mentions until you get to the end of September. And now it's just skyrocketing," Lipschultz said.
"As soon as we heard about the Portland Frog, uh, we sent those links in our chat and discussed having a bunch of us go in those kinds of costumes, but unfortunately, they're sold out," Cassard said.
Federal Response and Constitutional Rights
President Donald Trump has ordered the National Guard to both Portland and Chicago, referring to the cities as violent, while organizations like the ACLU point to federal authorities for raising tensions.
"We are seeing this administration attack those whom they don't agree with. We have seen attacks on students. We have seen attacks on journalists. We have seen attacks on elected officials. We haven't even seen attacks on comedians. And we're also seeing this administration deploy the military and the federal agents to our communities. Now, why are they doing so? Well, these are tactics to enforce compliance through fear, force, and censorship," an ACLU representative said.
The ACLU held a national seminar on Wednesday to inform people about their rights while attending protests.
"Um, this is what some people call the protective power of peaceful assembly. It protects our constitutional rights to assemble in a peaceful manner. We have the right not to be detained or arrested without a valid reason," the representative said.
Safety Measures for Saturday's Rally
Despite national tensions, organizers are moving forward with enhanced security measures for Saturday's event.
"We are still going full steam ahead. We don't want to be bullied into not participating. However, we are taking measures to increase security. We have a lot more crowd watchers. We're hiring a private security group to help with the event as well, but we're still having a strong focus on being clearly nonviolent and proving the president wrong," Cassard said.
Cassard says the rally is about coming together and connecting with like-minded individuals. Participants will march from Turner Park up to Blackstone while maintaining a peaceful approach.
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